British health officials will now allow people to mix COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic rages – but experts warn it could be risky.
The adaptation of the vaccination advice, which comes as the country struggles with a new, highly contagious mutation of the virus, points to a surprising departure from previous guidance – and a completely different approach to vaccine deployment in the US, reports the New York Times.
The UK protocol now states that a person can receive their COVID-19 injection with a vaccine candidate other than the first dose, if necessary.
Britain has approved two vaccines for the deadly bug, developed by AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
“For individuals who have started the schedule and who are attending vaccination in a place where the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to prescribe one dose of the locally available product. offers to complete the schedule, “the updated guidelines state.
However, the protocol reiterates that it is preferable to receive a second dose of the same vaccine, pointing out that another vaccine should only be used if the patient is at immediate high risk or if ‘unlikely’ to be attended again ‘ .
“In these circumstances, since both vaccines are based on the peak protein, it is likely that the second dose will help increase the response to the first dose,” he explained.
But the new advice still raised eyebrows in the scientific community.
“There is no data on this,” John Moore, a Cornell University vaccine expert, told the Times, adding that British officials “apparently left science completely and were just trying to guess their way out of a mess.” “
The update also contrasts with guidelines drawn up by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which explicitly states that the vaccines are ‘not interchangeable’.
“One of the currently authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may be used if indicated,” the CDC wrote, noting that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices “does not mention a product preference.”
“However, these mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cannot be exchanged with each other or with other COVID-19 vaccine products,” the agency said. “The safety and effectiveness of a range of products with different products have not been evaluated.”
The CDC does say that if doses of different vaccines are given ‘accidentally’, no additional doses of any vaccine should be administered.
When asked by The Post, the CDC declined to comment on the updated clues from the UK and whether it would review its own guidance in the light of the new advice.
The US has signed two coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
The UK, which has surpassed 2.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, is struggling with a surge in infections as a more contagious variant moves back and forth across the country, calling on at least 17 countries to ban UK travel to announce.