FDA will permit ‘mix and match’ for booster shots
The Food and Drug Administration is planning to allow Americans to receive a different COVID-19 vaccine as a booster than the one they initially received, a move that could reduce the appeal of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and provide flexibility to doctors and other vaccinators.
The government would not recommend one shot over another, and it might note that using the same vaccine as a booster when possible is preferable, people familiar with the agency’s planning told the New York Times.
But vaccine providers could use their discretion to offer a different brand, a freedom that state health officials have been requesting for weeks.
The approach was foreshadowed Friday, when researchers presented the findings of a federally funded “mix and match” study to an expert committee that advises the Food and Drug Administration.
The study found that recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot who received a Moderna booster saw their antibody levels rise 76-fold in 15 days, compared with only a fourfold increase after an extra dose of Johnson & Johnson.
Federal regulators this week are aiming to greatly expand the number of Americans eligible for booster vaccinations. The FDA is expected to authorize booster inoculations of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines by Wednesday evening; it could allow the mix-and-match approach by then.
The agency last month authorized booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for at least six months after the second dose.
An advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take up the booster issue Thursday; the agency will then issue its own recommendations.
By the end of the week, tens of millions more Americans could be eligible for extra shots.
Unvaccinated face new test fees
COVID-19 tests in France are no longer free for unvaccinated adults unless they are prescribed by a doctor.
While tests remain free for vaccinated adults and all children under 18, adults who have not gotten their shots now have to pay 22-45 euros ($25-$52) to get tested.
The government introduced the change as a complement to the COVID-19 passes that have been required in France since the summer. To get a pass, people need to show proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or recent recovery from the virus.
The passes are required at tourist sites, for hospital visits and on domestic train trips and flights. The pass requirement, announced in July, helped boost France’s vaccination rate.
About 74% of the population are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in France. Everyone age 12 and older is eligible for shots.