WHO warns citizens against mixing COVID-19 vaccines before trials are completed

GENEVA—The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, has advised individuals against mixing COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, saying the decision should be left to public health authorities and that it is currently being investigated.

“It’s a little bit of a dangerous trend here. It will be a chaotic situation in countries if citizens start deciding when and who will be taking a second, a third, and a fourth dose,” said Swaminathan at an online briefing.

Swaminathan previously called the mixing of vaccines a “data-free zone” but later clarified her remarks in a tweet.

“Individuals should not decide for themselves, public health agencies can be based on available data. Data from mix and match studies of different vaccines are awaited—immunogenicity and safety both need to be evaluated,” said Swaminathan via Twitter.

Previously, The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on vaccines stated in June that if you had taken your first dose from AstraZeneca, you could take your second dose from Pfizer in place of the former if it is not available.

A clinical trial led by the University of Oxford in the UK that is exploring the regimen of mixing AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines is currently underway. The trial was recently expanded to include Moderna and Novavax vaccines.

SOURCE: Business World