News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Matthew Harris to discuss COVID-19 boosters and the potential for mixing and matching 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.

An advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take up the booster issue on 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.

The CDC says the people who are unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the vaccinated. Vaccines are very protective, but are not 100%.

Pfizer has proposed giving children one-third of the adult dosage. Depending on what formulation Pfizer produces pediatric doses in, that might require adding a different amount of diluent to each injection or using a different vial or syringe. The company was expected to describe the method it intended to use in its submission to the FDA.

How soon could we see the Merk pill approved?