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Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine can be used as a substitute for a second jab of Pfizer’s or Moderna’s shots for those who have an allergic reaction to the first round of either company’s vaccine, a scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. (Feuer, 3/1)

While health experts note that more research is needed, initial data shows promise on that front. "I think it creates some additional opportunity for individuals who may have been more concerned about the other vaccines with the history of anaphylaxis," Rebecca Bean, Novant Health's Chief Pharmacy Officer, said. According to Johnson and Johnson's FDA briefing document, out of 40,000 clinical trial participants, severe allergic reactions, like anaphylaxis, were not reported. (Ruffes, 3/1)

The government’s top infectious-disease expert on Monday reiterated that the United States will stick to a plan to inoculate tens of millions of Americans with two doses of coronavirus vaccine, as calls mount to protect more people by letting them get one shot now. “There’s risks on either side,” Anthony S. Fauci told The Washington Post, warning that shifting to a single-dose strategy for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines could leave people less protected, enable variants to spread and possibly boost skepticism among Americans already hesitant to get the shots. (Diamond, 3/1)

“I wouldn’t make any changes unless you’ve got good data,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “I don’t think you mix and match without results showing it’s very effective and safe.” Now British researchers are trying to do just that. This month, a team of vaccinologists from Oxford University began recruiting 800 or so people age 50 or older for a complex study to see whether vaccine switching could actually work. Using an eight-armed clinical trial, they’ll test vaccine regimens using various combinations and intervals of the two vaccines currently being dispensed in Britain: one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, and another developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca. (Healy, 2/27)