The Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines has issued a warning against mixing of COVID-19 vaccine brands for its first and second doses.
Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that at this time, there is no scientific data on the safety of injecting different vaccine brands as protection for an individual against COVID.
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“It’s uncertain. It didn’t go through a study. There is no scientific basis,” Vega said in a radio interview.
He said that vaccine brands use different methods in developing their vaccines.
AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, and Janssen vaccines use viral vector while Sinovac and Bharat use inactivated virus. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna use messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA).
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Philippine Foundation for Vaccination executive director Lulu Bravo supported Vega’s stand on missing COVID-19 vaccines.
“No company has done a study on mixing vaccines with others. It remains to be investigated. It is possible that the efficacy may increase, decrease, or stay the same. It remains to be seen. But it won’t be harmful if we try,” she said. (TDT)
