Germany recommends mixing vaccines against COVID-19

Germany is one of the first countries to explicitly recommend that people who received AstraZeneca first receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderny vaccine for the second dose. The European Medicines Agency has not yet recommended such a procedure. Also in Poland there is no such recommendation yet.

1. In Europe, there is more and more talk about administering preparations from two different manufacturers during vaccinations against COVID-19
2. This mainly applies to the combination: AstraZeneca on the first dose, Pfizer or Moderna on the second
3. The original reason was adverse vaccine reactions after taking AstraZeneka
4. Recently, however, it has been found that mixing different vaccines in such a way gives a better immune response
5. Germany was the first country to make an unequivocal recommendation to do so
6. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Germany recommends mixing vaccines

The German Standing Committee on Immunization (STIKO) has recommended that people who receive AstraZeneca in the first round should receive an mRNA vaccine for their second dose, regardless of their age.

MRNA vaccines against COVID-19 approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are preparations of the companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a pioneer in such a procedure. First she received the AstraZeneca vaccine, with the second dose it was already Moderna.

STIKO officials said the latest research results show that the body shows a better immune response after a mixed dose of vaccines.

Two weeks ago, a similar recommendation was made by the Canadian National Advisory Council on Immunization. It was then concluded that “mRNA vaccine is now the preferred second dose for people who first received a dose of AstraZeneca”.

Mixing vaccines produces a better immune response

Canadians published such a recommendation based on “emerging evidence of a potentially better immune response from a mixed vaccination schedule.”

Recently, such signals have emerged from two independent sources.

A study by Spanish scientists and specialists from the University of Oxford, published in June, showed that giving AstraZeneca in the first dose and Pfizer in the second resulted in the production of more antibodies than would have been the case with two doses of AstraZeneki.

1. WHO warns: COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Europe

The European Medicines Agency said on Thursday that although it “cannot make any definitive recommendations on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in two doses”, there is “strong scientific justification” behind this approach.

Marco Cavaleri of the EMA said that “the agency is aware of preliminary results from studies conducted in Spain and Germany” which show that this strategy “provides a satisfactory immune response and has no safety concerns”. He added that the responsibility for how the vaccine is administered rests with the expert bodies guiding the vaccination campaigns in each Member State.

Mixing vaccines in Poland

The position of our Ministry of Health will remain unchanged for the time being.

– From my point of view and based on the discussions at the Medical Council, we do not foresee mixing vaccines for the time being, because it is a kind of experiment and I think it would be difficult to justify it on the level of the characteristics of medicinal products, i.e. the recommendations given by manufacturers, because they clearly do not refer to the issue of vaccine mixing – said the Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski a few weeks ago.

1. What are the risks of incomplete vaccination?

Perhaps the position of the government will change soon, because the Supreme Medical Chamber spoke about this possibility a few days ago.

«According to the Summary of Product Characteristics for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and current clinical experience, if a serious vaccine event occurs within 1 days following administration of the 30st dose of vaccine within 2 days, defined as an unintended and adverse event or health deterioration occurred during or after medical intervention, the administration of the XNUMXnd dose of this preparation should be suspended.

One dose of AstraZeneca does not sufficiently protect against COVID-19 infection.

1. COVID-19 cases have increased in Europe. The reason for Euro 2020?

Current publications indicate the possibility of continuing the vaccination schedule initiated with AstraZeneca with the preparation Pfizer / BioNtechwhich is effective and safe.

The off-label continuation of the vaccination course with Pfizer (ie the use of the drug in indications other than those listed in the SPC – ed.) Requires the consent of the patient and the doctor » – we read in the NIL statement.

Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski also appealed for the possibility of changing the vaccine with the second dose.

“Another Com-COV study, which showed that combined regimens of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in any combination give high levels of antibodies without increasing the risk of NOP” – wrote the immunologist and expert of the Supreme Medical Council on combating COVID-1 on Twitter

Read also:

1. You will now take your second dose at any point. How to do it?
2. No deaths due to COVID-19 in Poland. There have been no such data since the beginning of the pandemic
3. What do convalescents need to know before going to vaccination?
4. Top 15 questions about the second dose of the vaccine

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