This week, federal authorities are anticipated to approve the mixing and matching of COVID-19 booster injections in an effort to provide those who want to be protected against the coronavirus more options.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce the approval of booster injections for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines soon, after the approval of a third dosage for the Pfizer vaccine for many Americans last month. A US health official familiar with the situation who was not allowed to talk publicly before the announcement previewed the action on Tuesday.
The FDA was anticipated to declare that maintaining consistency in the vaccination course was still preferred, especially for the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that have proven to be the most effective against the virus. The CDC was still working on recommendations for the J&J single-shot vaccination.
Allowing individuals to mix and match shots may help with supply difficulties, making receiving a booster injection easier for Americans, and allow those who had negative responses to the first dosage to try a new shot.
The decision comes after the US said that it would accept mixing and matching of vaccinations provided abroad for the purposes of entering the US, as was customary in Canada and other European countries during the early months of the immunization campaign.
