HOUSTON — COVID-19 numbers continue to trend in the right direction because of vaccines. However, health officials said booster shots may be necessary to keep the virus under control in the long run.
Baylor College of Medicine just launched a clinical trial testing booster shots in Houston.
“What we’ve been doing over the last week or two is enrolling persons who got the Pfizer, Moderna, or Janssen J&J vaccine,” said Dr. Robert Atmar, professor of infectious diseases at Baylor and co-principal investigator of the national study.
This phase of the trial will involve 150 fully vaccinated people – 50 people who received the Pfizer vaccine, 50 people who received the Moderna vaccine, and 50 people who were immunized with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. All will get a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine.
The study won’t tell researchers if people need booster shots. Instead, it's designed to show which vaccine combinations are safe and provide the strongest protection against the original strain of COVID-19 and concerning variants.
This summer, Baylor College of Medicine will continue mixing and matching vaccines to test all authorized vaccines as boosters. If health officials decide another dose is necessary, this study will inform health officials about what combinations are most effective.
If you're interested in enrolling in the trial, you can call 713-798-4912 or email Covid-vax@bcm.edu.