US to allow vaccine booster ‘mix and match’ – reports

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to allow “mix and match” coronavirus vaccine boosting, in which people get a different additional shot to the dose they initially received, US media reports.

Citing sources familiar with the situation, the New York Times said the FDA might make the announcement on Wednesday, when it is also expected to authorize boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

A preliminary study released in the United States last week showed that people who have received the J&J vaccine may benefit from a booster dose of a different, messenger-RNA vaccine such as Pfizer or Moderna.

But multiple reports quoted people familiar with the discussions as saying one shot may not be recommended over another, and the FDA could say using the same vaccine is preferable when possible.