A doctor is holding a bottle of Covid-19 vaccine.
The chief scientist of the World Health Organization advised people on Monday not to mix and match Covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a “dangerous trend” because more data on health effects is needed.
“There is a little dangerous trend here,” Soumya Swaminathan said in an online briefing. “If citizens start deciding when and who will take the second, third and fourth doses, it will be a chaotic country.”
Swaminathan called the mix a “no data zone” on Monday, but the WHO clarified on Tuesday that some data is available and more data is expected.
Its vaccine strategy advisory panel stated in June that Pfizer vaccine can be used as a second dose after the initial dose of AstraZeneca, if the latter is not available.
The results of a further clinical trial led by the University of Oxford are ongoing, which will study a combination of AstraZeneca and Pfizer as well as Moderna and Novovax vaccines.
The WHO said in an email comment: “We are waiting for data from a mix and match study of different vaccines-both immunogenicity and safety need to be assessed.”
The WHO added that public health agencies should make decisions based on available data, not individuals.
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