Dr. Ofer Levy, a member of the U.S. FDA advisory committee, stated that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines that utilize mRNA technology continue to raise concerns among leading scientists due to heart inflammation in young individuals. Scientists are examining whether they will approve third doses for anyone over the age of 12. Levy, who is the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital, spoke just hours after the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously recommended providing second doses to all recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine who are over 18.
The committee previously recommended the FDA approve boosters from Moderna and Pfizer for all seniors and other high-risk groups. However, some committee members expressed concerns about allowing third doses of mRNA vaccines for individuals aged 12 and older due to the possibility of two rare conditions of heart inflammation: myocarditis and pericarditis. Levy noted that, while uncommon, myocarditis has been primarily found in adolescents and young adults who received a vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC indicated that these cases typically appear within days of vaccination, usually after the second dose, and subside with medication and rest.
Data suggests that both mRNA options from Pfizer and Moderna showed relatively higher effectiveness with two doses, but Johnson & Johnson presented a study to the FDA demonstrating that a second dose of their vaccine increased its efficacy from 72% to 94%.
