The Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine offers good protection now. A booster shot will maximize that, experts say - CNN

Then the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisers will be asked to consider it.

Experts are advising that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot as soon as it's available because it will provide them with the best protection against Covid-19, especially as the more transmissible Delta variant continues to be the dominant strain in the United States.

Still, the company said studies show a booster dose increases protection equivalent to the 94% efficacy shown by the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines soon after they were first given in clinical trials last year.

Meanwhile, various real-world studies suggest that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine was anywhere between 50% and 68% effective, Dr.

But a study published Thursday reported a steep decline in vaccine effectiveness against infection by August of this year, especially for people who received the J&J vaccine.

Researchers found that among more than 600,000 veterans, J&J's vaccine's protection against infection fell from 88% in March to 3% in August.

The FDA vaccine advisory committee also supported emergency use authorization for booster shots of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine after six months, but not for everyone.

Not quite yet," Schaffner said.

Black people represent a larger share of new vaccinations

As public health officials talk boosters, 66 million Americans who are eligible for a vaccine still haven't received their initial shots, while nearly 57% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Black and brown communities have proven to be disproportionally bearing the brunt of the pandemic for various reasons, including health care inequities.

Another analysis published earlier this month by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) showed the difference in Covid-19 cases and deaths between Black, Hispanic and White people is narrowing.

KFF researchers found that while disparities are still present across different racial groups, the gap is improving for Black and Hispanic people, based on an analysis of case and death data from CDC last month.