An early National Institutes of Health study of different booster combos shows an extra dose of any COVID vaccine increases virus-fighting antibodies. The most dramatic response comes from an MRNA booster after a Johnson and Johnson vaccine. People who got the single-dose shot saw a 76-fold jump in antibody levels after getting a Moderna booster, and a 35-fold rise after a Pfizer booster. That's compared to a four-fold increase after a second J&J shot. However, some medical experts are skeptical because these results are early. One unclear detail: what level dose a Moderna booster would look like matched with a different brand. Moderna is asking the FDA for a booster that is half a dose. But the NIH mix-and-match study only looked at full doses, meaning we don't know if a half-dose of Moderna would cause as high of a jump in antibodies. Mixing shots could make it more accessible for people who may otherwise have issues getting the same brand doses, or those who had a bad reaction to their first dose. The FDA is expected to issue emergency authorization for Moderna and J&J boosters this week. The CDC's own advisory panel is slated to make its own recommendations. And CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to move quickly thereafter, meaning boosters in arms could happen by week's end.
The Science Of Mixing COVID-19 Boosters
An early NIH study of different booster combos shows an extra dose of any COVID vaccine increases virus-fighting antibodies.
Google AI tool could potentially be used to diagnose a person's cough
The technology system called Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR) was trained on millions of audio clips of human sounds from the YouTube database.
Man vaccinated 217 times against COVID shows no side effects
Researchers studied the man and determined he had more COVID antibodies but experienced no side effects from being hypervaccinated.
This is the last week you can order free COVID-19 tests
Each household is eligible for up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests, depending on when they last ordered.
Ukrainian orphan escapes Russia, but remains in limbo
A Ukrainian teenager named Denys escaped this year from Russia. But since then, he hasn't been able to leave Poland.
Cuba Gooding Jr. added as defendant in sex assault suit against Diddy
The sweeping suit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, filed last month, alleges sexual assault, harassment and more.
In mifepristone case, justices quiz lawyers on the Comstock Act
Supreme Court arguments in a medicated abortion case are shining a spotlight on a key federal obscenity law.