Can COVID-19 vaccines be mixed and matched?
Health officials say both doses should have the same vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccines that have been expanded so far in the United States, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world so far require two shots that are given a few weeks apart.
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In the US, where Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are distributed, health officials say the vaccines cannot be exchanged. In England, where shots from Pfizer and AstraZeneca are available, officials also say the doses should be consistent.
But in the rare case that the same kind is not available, or if it is not known what was given for the first shot, English officials say it is good to give what vaccine is available for the second shot. Since the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines work the same way, they say that the mismatched dose is better than partial protection.
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But without any studies, vaccine doses should not be mixed, says Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccination expert at Johns Hopkins University.
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If people happen to get another vaccine for their second shot accidentally, Bar-Zeev said it will probably ‘work well and be well tolerated’, but evidence is needed to be sure.