FDA will allow mixing and matching doses for COVID-19 boosters

The FDA is planning to allow Americans to receive a COVID-19 booster made by a different drugmaker than the one that made the vaccine with which they were initially inoculated, The New York Times reported Oct. 18.

Four things to know:

  1. The government will not recommend one drugmaker's booster over another, federal officials told The New York Times. The U.S. will likely say that while it's preferable to use a booster made by the same drugmaker that produced a person's original vaccine, providers can use their discretion to offer boosters made by a different drugmaker.

  2. A National Institutes of Health study on mixing COVID-19 vaccine doses showed that people who were vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 shot would receive greater protection if they got a booster made by Moderna or Pfizer. It was published Oct. 13 in preprint server MedRxiv.

  3. The FDA is expected to approve Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters this week, greatly expanding the number of Americans eligible for COVID-19 boosters.

  4. State officials have been pushing for the option to mix and match COVID-19 boosters for weeks. Many say the option allows for a more streamlined booster rollout, as states often have a greater supply of one vaccine over the others.
 

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