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Dashboard Spotlight

Demand For COVID-19 Booster Doses Continues Steady Growth In Missouri

Staff Contact: Mat Reidhead or Jackie Gatz

More than half a million individuals fully vaccinated in Missouri now have added protection against COVID-19, stemming from third doses and booster shots. Among the more than 3 million individuals who have completed the prime series with one of the three COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the U.S., 17.6% have completed recommended booster doses to combat waning protection with time against breakthrough infections.

Recent data and evaluations by federal administrators have focused on the protective durability of the three vaccines, in addition to the immune responses induced by second (for Johnson and Johnson) and third (for mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) booster doses at varied intervals. Data from clinical trials and the international community show robust immune responses six months following completion of prime mRNA series, and two months following completion of the single-dose J&J vaccine. Data from the National Institutes of Health on the safety and efficacy of “mix and match” booster doses also suggest a more robust response to mRNA vaccine boosters for recipients of the single-dose J&J vaccine. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began incrementally approving booster doses for high-risk individuals on Aug. 12.

The booster completion rate for fully vaccinated individuals in Missouri is highest for primary series recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (19.3%), followed by Moderna recipients (16%), while only 10.9% of J&J recipients have received a booster dose through mid-November. Booster manufacturer loyalty also is highest among prime series recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines (96.4%), followed by Moderna (93.7%), while the majority of J&J prime dose recipients have opted for mRNA booster doses of other manufacturing origin.

Recent data have shown the single-dose J&J vaccine to have the most quickly dissipating protection from breakthrough infections, in addition to a stronger immune response when boosted with a single dose of the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines two months after completion of the prime series. Preliminary analysis also suggests a higher rate of breakthrough infections associated with original recipients of the J&J vaccine. As a result, the CDC currently recommends booster doses of any origin for all individuals ages 18 and older who completed vaccination with J&J, regardless of underlying risk factors.