Mixing Vaccines: Mixed Messages
As far as I can tell, studies are underway but not complete on the efficacy of mixing vaccines.
So why is Jersey saying “It follows an endorsement of the approach by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.”
When clearly there is NO endorsement to support it. In fact, quite the contrary – until trials are complete, later in the summer!!!
Essentially Jersey should sign up to trials if we are going to do this, and people should be made aware of that.
"This approach has been endorsed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation."
If they did endorse it, it is extraordinary, given that trials are not due to give preliminary results until the summer, and they have stated quite clearly it can only be "a last resort" at present. Moreover, when they did consider mixing vaccines, back in January, the JCOVAI very quickly backtracked after criticism that they were not following proven science.
The Facts of the Matter
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/worlds-first-covid-19-vaccine-alternating-dose-study-launches-in-uk/26773
Study on mixing vaccines began in February
The study will run for 13 months and patients will be recruited over the course of February via the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry. Vaccinations are expected to start towards the middle of the month and initial results to be made available over the summer period.
So why has Jersey not mentioned that the science is not yet robust?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55924433
The vaccines minister said no changes would be made to the UK's current approach until at least the summer.
Currently, official guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says anyone already given the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca jab as part of the UK's approved immunisation programme should get the same vaccine for both doses.
There is no suggestion this will change, although in very rare circumstances a different vaccine can be used - if only one vaccine is available, or it's not known which was given for the first dose.
And further back, some red flags:
NHS England’s vaccine deployment chief commercial officer Emily Lawson told MPs at a House of Commons public accounts committee meeting on 11 January that she did not expect mixing to occur - and stressed it should be done only as a ‘last resort’.
https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-02/mixing-vaccines-not-recommended-public-health-england-say
England's health agency has warned against mixing vaccines from different suppliers after a US newspaper reported an update to Public Health England's Covid handbook that would allow for a "mix-and-match" vaccine roll out. Updated advice PHE Covid guidelines say: “It is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule” if the same vaccine used for the first dose is not available.
Later, the agency's coronavirus 'green book' adds: “There is no evidence on the interchangeability of the Covid-19 vaccines although studies are under way.”
Commenting on reports on mixing vaccines, Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said: “We do not recommend mixing the Covid-19 vaccines – if your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the AstraZeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa.”
She added: "There may be extremely rare occasions where the same vaccine is not available, or where it is not known what vaccine the patient received.
"Every effort should be made to give them the same vaccine, but where this is not possible, it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all."
Dr Ramsay was forced to defend the UK's vaccine regimen after an article in the New York Times report accused Britain of deploying a "mix-and-match" approach to the vaccine roll out.
The report quoted virologist Prof John Moore from Cornell University in the US who accused the UK of having "abandoned science completely now and are just trying to guess their way out of a mess”.
Prof Anthony Harnden, the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our current advice is that you use the same vaccine for both doses. However, we have studies that are ongoing at the moment to look at mixing vaccines and when we see the data for those and are secure about the data for those, then we may be recommending mixed dose strategy.”
The Facts of the Matter
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/worlds-first-covid-19-vaccine-alternating-dose-study-launches-in-uk/26773
Study on mixing vaccines began in February
The study will run for 13 months and patients will be recruited over the course of February via the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry. Vaccinations are expected to start towards the middle of the month and initial results to be made available over the summer period.
So why has Jersey not mentioned that the science is not yet robust?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55924433
The vaccines minister said no changes would be made to the UK's current approach until at least the summer.
Currently, official guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says anyone already given the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca jab as part of the UK's approved immunisation programme should get the same vaccine for both doses.
There is no suggestion this will change, although in very rare circumstances a different vaccine can be used - if only one vaccine is available, or it's not known which was given for the first dose.
And further back, some red flags:
NHS England’s vaccine deployment chief commercial officer Emily Lawson told MPs at a House of Commons public accounts committee meeting on 11 January that she did not expect mixing to occur - and stressed it should be done only as a ‘last resort’.
https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-02/mixing-vaccines-not-recommended-public-health-england-say
England's health agency has warned against mixing vaccines from different suppliers after a US newspaper reported an update to Public Health England's Covid handbook that would allow for a "mix-and-match" vaccine roll out. Updated advice PHE Covid guidelines say: “It is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule” if the same vaccine used for the first dose is not available.
Later, the agency's coronavirus 'green book' adds: “There is no evidence on the interchangeability of the Covid-19 vaccines although studies are under way.”
Commenting on reports on mixing vaccines, Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said: “We do not recommend mixing the Covid-19 vaccines – if your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the AstraZeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa.”
She added: "There may be extremely rare occasions where the same vaccine is not available, or where it is not known what vaccine the patient received.
"Every effort should be made to give them the same vaccine, but where this is not possible, it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all."
Dr Ramsay was forced to defend the UK's vaccine regimen after an article in the New York Times report accused Britain of deploying a "mix-and-match" approach to the vaccine roll out.
The report quoted virologist Prof John Moore from Cornell University in the US who accused the UK of having "abandoned science completely now and are just trying to guess their way out of a mess”.
Prof Anthony Harnden, the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our current advice is that you use the same vaccine for both doses. However, we have studies that are ongoing at the moment to look at mixing vaccines and when we see the data for those and are secure about the data for those, then we may be recommending mixed dose strategy.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment