A British study published in the Lancet yesterday indicates that being vaccinated with a mixture of two types of vaccines may be more effective against Covid-19.
According to the University of Oxford, a first dose of the vaccine from Pfizer or AstraZeneca guarantees more immunity if it is combined with a second dose of the vaccine from Moderna, nine weeks later.
See the full study here.
“We saw a very good immune response. Even bigger than with two doses of the same vaccine”, said Matthew Snape, coordinator of the investigation.
The researchers point out that this could be a positive sign for low-income countries, as they will be able to combine different brand vaccines if they run out of stock for the one they used for the first dose.
"We have shown that there is flexibility, we don't have to strictly adhere to the use of the same vaccine for the first and second doses, and if the vaccination process is completed more quickly using different vaccines, then this can be done", said the scientist.
WHAT WERE THE CONCLUSIONS?
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A first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine followed by one dose of Moderna vaccine produces more antibodies than two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine;
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A first dose of Pfizer vaccine followed by a dose of Moderna vaccine produces more antibodies than two doses of Pfizer vaccine.
In the study 1,070 volunteers were used and no safety concerns were raised. Blood samples were taken from the participants and tested for their immune response against the original virus as well as the Beta and Delta variants.
The researchers further concluded that the vaccines' effectiveness against the variants declined, a consistent result regardless of the brand of vaccine used.
THE FUTURE OF VACCINATION?
The effectiveness of vaccines over time has been a question raised by experts recently, at a time when countries start administering booster doses after an increase in the number of infections.
The emergence of the Omicron variant has accelerated vaccination efforts and the researchers explain that this new approach could be a valid answer to halt the evolution of the pandemic.
Furthermore, they explain that these findings may also influence how vaccines are used against other diseases.
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
