Johnson & Johnson recipients 'left in the dark' as administration maps out booster strategy: report

On Thursday, Axios reported that recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine feel "left in the dark" in government planning for COVID-19 boosters.

"The administration has said it is eyeing boosters for the mRNA shots available from Pfizer and Moderna and the FDA will meet regarding Pfizer's booster data in mid-September," reported Marisa Fernandez. "But while the White House has said it is looking at J&J boosters, the plans have not yet publicly included them. 'We've kind of left people who got J&J high and dry, we have no idea what to tell them,' a federal health official tells [The Washington Post]."

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was the only single-dose COVID-19 shot given emergency use authorization by the FDA, as opposed to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are delivered in two doses.

The need for boosters has been a topic of sharp debate and discussion as studies look into how durable the antibodies are, and as the Delta variant and potentially vaccine-resistant Mu variant of COVID-19 continue to spread.

According to Bloomberg, a Johnson & Johnson booster trial is currently underway in South Africa, covering half a million of the country's health care workers.