Germany recommends mixing COVID vaccines

Germany recommends mixing COVID vaccines

German authorities are recommending that people who receive a first dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine switch to a different type of vaccine for their second shot.

The German government on Friday advised people to choose either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their second jab.

The move came one day after the country’s standing committee on vaccinations issued a draft recommendation to the same effect.

The aim is to enhance immune responses against COVID-19 and shorten the interval period between the two shots.

The committee recommended the second dose be administered four weeks or more after the first AstraZeneca shot. That’s much shorter than the nine or more weeks the committee recommends between two doses of AstraZeneca.

Health Minister Jens Spahn says Germany expects the highly infectious Delta variant, which was first detected in India, to account for nearly 80 percent of infections by the end of July.

So far, more than 55 percent of Germany’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Spahn stressed the addition of the second shot will provide more protection against the Delta variant.

Last Monday, a research group from Britain’s Oxford University said combining doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines had generated a stronger immune response than having two rounds of AstraZeneca in a trial.

Joachim Hombach, head of the WHO’s expert panel, said on Thursday that it was “great news.” He noted this can offer more flexibility to countries that face vaccine supply constraints.

But he added the efficacy and safety of mixing vaccines other than AstraZeneca and Pfizer are being studied and that the WHO does not recommend mixing any other types of vaccines.

Title: Germany recommends mixing COVID vaccines
Sourced From: www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210703_07/
Published Date: 07/03/21

Did you miss our previous article…  Click here