Centre may allow mixing of Covishield and Sputnik vaccines

Bhubaneswar: The Central government is planning to allow mixing of Covishield and Sputnik vaccines as both are adenoviral platform vaccines, while Pfizer and Moderna vaccines could be taken in combination as they are mRNA vaccines.

Individuals are soon to receive a jab of one vaccine followed by a second jab of a different one, reported Mint. NTAGI Chairman N.K. Arora said, “We would allow mixing and matching of some COVID-19 vaccines if a common platform for development is used.”

Such decision could be taken due to the unavailability of the brand used for the first dose. Hence, the second dose may go for a mix-and-match. A formal advisory in this regard is yet to be released.

Mixing two COVID-19 vaccines should not have any adverse effects, especially when using vaccines from the same platforms, claims scientists and experts.

In a preliminary data from the studies being conducted in the UK and Spain regarding the mix and matched vaccine trials have suggested that combining two different vaccines will lead to a stronger immune response. However, the frequency might increase the adverse effects like fever and soreness.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in its interim recommendation, said that mixing of recombinant vaccines like Covishield and Sputnik does not require a third dose of either vaccine. It also said that the first dose of recombinant vaccine, followed by a second mRNA vaccine, resulted in “higher neutralizing antibody levels and T cell-mediated immune response” compared to both doses of the same platform, as reported my mint.