It’s safe to mix the first and second doses of COVID vaccines made by different companies.
This is according to the National Advisory Committee On Immunization.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry called this latest development “reassuring” for B.C. health officials: “I think the other thing that’s reassuring is the National Advisory Committee On Immunization has looked at the interchangeability of two mRNA vaccines and supports that there is no safety concerns or effectiveness concerns if you have Moderna and then a Pfizer and vice-versa.”
However, Dr. Henry added that as much as they can, they will try to make sure British Columbians receive the same product for their second dose.
“And we’ll try to make sure that everybody gets the on-label application of each product which means right now, Pfizer is the only product that’s approved for use down to age 12.”
Canadians who got a first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can now get a Pfizer or Moderna shot as a second dose.
Ottawa has announced that it has greenlit mixed vaccine schedules based on new guidance from the committee.
Meanwhile, the NACI says if your first dose was the AstraZeneca or COVISHIELD vaccine you can still receive a second dose of those.
The new advice comes in light of recent studies from Germany, UK and Spain on the safety of using mixed COVID-19 vaccines.
