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Mixing of Covid vaccines: Which countries have allowed it so far?

Dubai - Several countries have opted to mix different brands of Covid vaccinations to help pandemic efforts.

Several countries have opted to mix different brands of the Covid vaccine, with others, including Russia and South Korea, mulling the option over. Many have established large-scale clinical trials and studies to determine the strategy’s efficacy, with multiple countries deeming the strategy safe and effective in handling the pandemic.

1.UAE

Residents in Abu Dhabi who have received both doses of the Sinopharm vaccine now have the option to take the Pfizer-BioNTech jab as well. The vaccine is administered only through prior appointments and on furnishing a signed consent form from a doctor. There are two consent forms available for free at the centres- one to be filled by the applicant and another by a physician.

2.Bahrain

The country has begun offering a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for some people, six months after they received two shots of China’s Sinopharm vaccine. the government now recommends that people over 50, the obese and people with weakened immune systems receive the Pfizer shot regardless of whether they first received Sinopharm.

3.Canada

People who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine may receive Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second dose, unless contraindicated, Canadian authorities announced. The new guidance also advises that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be mixed for first and second doses. But it is not recommending AstraZeneca after a first shot of Pfizer or Moderna because of safety concerns and limited data on the use of this combination.

4.US

According to the Financial Express, the US government has allowed the mixing of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines only under most exceptional circumstances and after a gap of at least 28 days between the two doses.

5.France

France’s top health advisory body in charge of Covid-19 vaccines recommended that recipients of a first dose of the AstraZeneca shot who are under 55 should receive a second dose with a so-called messenger RNA vaccine. Two mRNA vaccines, one from Pfizer and BioNTech and one from Moderna, have been approved for use in France.

6.Finland

Finland said that people aged under 65 who got a first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot could get a different vaccine for their second dose, as authorities warned about delays to the country's roll-out.