WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 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 said. 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 last Friday (Oct 15), when researchers presented the findings of a federally funded “mix and match” study to an expert committee that advises the FDA.