New Canaan double organ transplant recipient hopeful of Moderna's COVID-19 booster shot

Jen Benson, of New Canaan, is calling a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine "exciting news" not just for her, but for the hundreds of thousands of Americans like her who have compromised immune systems.

News 12 Staff

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Aug 12, 2021, 4:53 PM

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Updated 1,226 days ago

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With the FDA expected to announce a third COVID-19 booster shot for immuno-compromised patients, a double-transplant recipient from New Canaan says it's giving hope to millions of Americans like her.

Jen Benson, 41, says she was thrilled to read a New England Journal of Medicine study showing a third dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine could provide improved protection for organ transplant recipients.

She says despite receiving both shots, she never developed antibodies due to the anti-rejection medications she takes to survive.

More: COVID RESOURCES: COVID-19 vaccine resources and case data

The research was conducted by a group out of Canada whose findings were published in the latest addition of the journal.

Benson says another study, by doctors at Johns Hopkins, also found that the Moderna booster shots provided improved protection both for transplant recipients as well as many others whose weak immune systems.

Benson met Thursday with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who's calling the study "a significant development holding great promise for many."

Doctors say it's vitally important to make sure your health care provider checks your antibody levels before administering a third shot.

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