[국제]UK begins research on’cross vaccination’ of two types of COVID-19 vaccine

[앵커]

The UK has launched a study on whether mixing different types of COVID-19 vaccines will have an immune effect.

Concerns are emerging as a measure to increase the supply of vaccines that are scarce.

This is reporter Kim Jeong-hoe.

[기자]

The UK government has officially announced that it will be the first in the world to start cross-vaccinating the COVID-19 vaccine.

If meaningful results come out, it was revealed that it could be reviewed with the vaccination method, suggesting that it was taken into account even the actual implementation.

According to the plan, clinical trials will be conducted in 820 adults in eight locations in the UK.

The vaccines to be tested are Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

For both, half of the participants were given two doses of a single vaccine, and the other half were given a single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, followed by a second dose of another vaccine.

The researchers will regularly collect blood from participants to monitor their immune responses and record and analyze any adverse events.

This is the first time in the UK to check the immune effect through clinical trials.

Earlier, the US CDC allowed cross vaccinations last month, but limited to a few special cases, such as not knowing what type of vaccine was first given or not having the same vaccine at critical times when it becomes severe.

CDC has also begun studies to see if a half-dose dose is effective.

Following the expansion of the vaccination interval, half vaccinations and cross vaccinations, countries are interested in the lack of vaccine supply.

The production volume is limited because the corona situation in each country is severe.

In particular, in the UK, due to the spread of the mutant virus, there is a burden to curb the spread of Corona 19 with a limited amount of vaccine.

However, mixing vaccines with different vaccination cycles and antibody production methods is more of a concern than widening the vaccination interval or half-dose vaccination.

Most of all, there is a concern about safety infringement, and in Korea, which will start vaccination this month, cross vaccinations are excluded.

[정은경 / 질병관리청장(12월 28일) : 통상 2회 접종을 실시해야 하고 또 교차 접종을 방지해야 하는 그런 점들을 고려해서 국민들이 안전하고 편리하게 접종할 수 있도록]

However, the British government will cost 10.7 billion won to start the test.

The period is from the middle of this month to March of next year, and the plan is to release the first results this summer as early as possible.

This is YTN Kim Jeong-hoe.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]

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