Montreal.- The scientific committee that advises the government of Canada Regarding vaccination, he gave the green light on Tuesday to the possibility of changing the Covid vaccine between the first and the second dose.
People who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca may receive the second dose of AstraZeneca or one of another messenger RNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, the National Immunization Advisory Committee has announced ( CCNI) in a press release.
Canadians who received a first dose of a messenger RNA vaccine should be offered the same vaccine for their second dose, but another messenger RNA vaccine may be offered if it is not available.
“The interchangeability of vaccines means that you can receive a first dose of vaccine and safely receive a different vaccine for your second dose to complete the series of vaccines needed to ensure optimal protection against Covid-19,” said Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Director. of the Federal Public Health Officer.
In making this recommendation, the NACI specifies that it has taken into account in particular the risk of severe thrombus with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
It also states that the mixture may cause “an increased risk of short-term side effects … including headaches, fatigue and a general feeling of discomfort.”
The combination of vaccines from different manufacturers is not new: it has been applied against influenza or hepatitis A, the committee said.
“I think we will need to take a closer look at what will happen after this recommendation,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, director of public health, when asked about the risk of Canadians rejecting the AstraZeneca vaccine at the second dose.
“We don’t want to leave vaccine doses unused,” he added.
It is up to the Canadian provinces to decide whether or not to apply this recommendation.
Several of them announced in May their decision to stop the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people receiving their first dose of vaccine as a precaution, due to the increase in the number of associated thrombi.
But it is still used for people who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca and wish to receive a second dose of the same product.
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