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The British health institution Public Health England (PHE) today advised against mixing vaccines from different manufacturers, except on rare occasions, two days before the widespread launch of the vaccination program in the country.
According to the Spanish news agency Efe, the warning from this British health agency comes two days before the acceleration of the national immunization program, with the introduction of a second vaccine against the new coronavirus, from the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company . AstraZeneca, recently approved by British regulators.
This vaccine can be used in conjunction with the previously licensed Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which began to be administered to the population in December.
In a series of recommendations released on New Year’s Eve by the Government to health professionals from the National Health Service, the British equivalent of the National Health Service, it was indicated that if a person had already received a first injection of the two doses required, and the second was not available, it was “reasonable” to offer a dose of another vaccine.
“This option is preferable if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to return,” it was said then.
After the doubts raised in recent days about the risks of this option, the head of the UK vaccination program, Mary Ramsay, explained today to the British channel Sky News that “mixing” the two vaccines is not recommended and should only be done “. on rare occasions.”
“We do not recommend mixing covid-19 vaccines; if the first dose of the vaccine is from Pfizer, AstraZeneca should not be administered in the second dose and vice versa,” said the official, adding, however, that “there can be very rare in which the same type of vaccine is not available or in which the vaccine administered to the patient in the first dose is unknown “.
In these cases, he admitted, it is preferable “to give a second dose of a different vaccine than not to give any.”
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is composed of two complete doses with an interval of between 12 weeks, and requires normal refrigeration, between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, being transported easily due to the greater logistical difficulties of the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept at less 70 degrees.
The total number of infections in the UK since the start of this health crisis now stands at 2,599,789 and the death toll stands at 74,570.
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