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Spain to give different booster to strengthen J&J vaccine

FILE - This Wednesday, March 31, 2021 file photo shows empty vials of Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination site in Uniondale, N.Y. On Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are slated to discuss who should get extra doses of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines and the bigger question of getting a different brand for the booster than people's original vaccination. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

MADRID – People who received a shot of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be offered a second dose from a different drug maker, Spain’s health authorities said on Wednesday.

Spain’s health ministry said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has proven to be less effective than other vaccines. So Spaniards who have received it will now be offered a booster shot of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccines once three months have passed.

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Only 1.9 million of the 37 million Spaniards who have been vaccinated have received the J&J shot.

Spain boasts one of the most successful voluntary vaccination campaigns in the world with 88% of its target population of 12 years and up fully vaccinated.

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