With the updated booster shots coming, will you still be able to mix and match COVID boosters? –NBC Chicago

After the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer on Monday, you may have questions, including when will the rollout begin, who is eligible and will you still be able to mix them – given that the plans have been updated?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA initially approved mixing and matching COVID boosters in October 2021, NBC News previously reported, meaning people were unable to receive boosters that matched their vaccinations initials.

The move greatly expanded access across the country, as some vaccines were more readily available in some areas than others.

The CDC director at the time recommended a booster shot six months or more after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for people 65 and older and adults 18 and older who live in long-term care facilities, have underlying health conditions or work or live in high-risk facilities. settings. Officials have said all three vaccines — Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson — are effective and have not endorsed any particular combination over any other.

In guidance released Monday, the FDA said anyone age 5 and older will be able to receive a single dose of either updated COVID vaccine, whether or not they have been vaccinated. The federal agency did not say that a recipient should receive the same dose of the vaccine they previously received. The FDA, however, said people should wait at least two months since their last COVID vaccination before receiving another dose.

Although you can mix and match plans, is this the best solution?

There is little data to suggest there is any benefit to “mixing and matching,” according to an article from Yale New Haven Health.

However, if you’ve had a reaction to one type of vaccine, it might be a good idea to get a different one for your booster shot.

The CDC director is expected to grant final approval to the updated boosters after his Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets Tuesday. Once that happens, shots could start being distributed almost immediately.