AstraZenaca as the first shot, Pfizer as the second. Should combining different vaccines be allowed? This question may not seem very relevant – because why would you want to mix vaccines if two of the same already offer very good protection – but some people really want the Netherlands to allow it.
This mainly concerns people who received the drug from AstraZeneca as the first shot, and now want to get another one. Like Peter Scheefhals. “I just want the best possible protection that everyone is entitled to in the Netherlands.”
‘Happy with every extra percentage’
Dutch people who immediately refused an injection with AstraZeneca have recently been allowed to make a new appointment for another vaccine. But people who did take their first Astra shot get no other option for their second shot.
Scheefhals would like Pfizer as a second shot. All vaccines are very good at preventing severe corona, but the Astra vaccine, like the Janssen vaccine, is slightly less effective than that of Pfizer and Moderna in preventing infection.
“At the moment I am happy with every percent of extra protection,” says Scheefhals. “I am over 60 and have a lung disease but I am not classified in the vulnerable group. I am still a bit anxious that I am not sufficiently protected after two doses of Astra.”
Astra-Pfizer better and Astra-Astra?
It is not yet clear whether combining different vaccines in all cases works as well as using the same brand twice. As far as safety is concerned, it seems to be in order, according to experiences abroad.
In some European countries, people who are fed up with their first Astra shot are allowed to opt for something else for their second shot. “So far this has shown that mixing can be done safely if the interval between the two injections is long enough,” says Anke Huckriede, professor of vaccinology. “There were no more serious side effects than having an Astra vaccine followed by a second shot of AstraZeneca.”
Experts from the World Health Organization said yesterday: combining AstraZeneca and Pfizer is safe and effective. Huckriede: “If you have had a first vaccination with the Astra vaccine and have it followed by a second vaccination with Pfizer, then the immune response is better than if you give a second shot with Astra.”
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In the Netherlands, the AstraZeneca vaccine is now only used for people over 60, due to a very rare side effect that mainly occurs in people under 60. Younger people who have already had their first shot with AstraZeneca can just get AstraZeneca for their second shot , states the Health Council.
The Dutch Ministry of Health may only allow mixing after a new recommendation from the Health Council. He says that he is still waiting for the results of a major study in Great Britain for that advice. According to a spokesperson, that could take another two weeks to two months.
Huckriede is surprised. Mixing is already done in many countries. In France, people under 55 who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca are allowed to choose something else for their second shot. “I actually expected that the Health Council would go along with the other European countries to allow a mix, especially for people younger than 60.”
Two weeks to two months is a long wait for Dutch people who have already had a first shot with AstraZeneca and are now hoping for an alternative. Scheefhals: “If there’s nothing against it, why aren’t we offered a second shot with Pfizer?”
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