Combination vaccine - what's the catch?
Lately, the question has been raised: can Canadians who have been vaccinated against covid with various vaccines travel freely?
While Canadian health authorities say that Moderna recipients should not hesitate to use Pfizer-BioNTech as a second shot — or vice versa — the US Food and Drug Administration has so far been very reluctant to agree to this practice. They believe that vaccines should only be mixed in exceptional cases. The question is whether Canadians who have received different vaccines as first and second doses will be allowed to travel to the United States and other countries when this is possible.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominique LeBlanc says he hopes there should be no problem for these Canadians crossing borders in the coming months.
Is it dangerous to mix vaccines
Meanwhile, many European countries do not recognize the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine created at the Serum Institute in India, known by the brand name Covishield. This means that Canadians who receive it could be banned from entering the US.
On that occasion, during a virtual press conference Tuesday, LeBlanc suggested that data sharing and communication between health authorities from different countries should tweak the "conservative approach" to vaccination by regulators in some states:
"I think over the next few weeks and months, health authorities around the world will be able to amend their vaccination plans," the minister noted.
Canadian Dr. Howard Njoo also commented that there are already studies of mixed vaccination that point to its effectiveness. And the decrease in cases and deaths in Canada supports such conclusions:
"I think one day we will actually make it easier for citizens of individual states to travel to other countries by generalizing the approach to vaccination," Dr. Nju expressed hope.
As already reported by the Canadian government, starting August 9, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be allowed to enter Canada without quarantine provided they provide proof of vaccination and results of a negative test for COVID-19 taken no earlier than three days before departure. The same rules will apply to fully vaccinated travellers from around the world starting September 7.
Authorities in Canada and several other countries — including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden — have already allowed their citizens to receive mixed vaccinations, including combining a dose of AstraZeneca with some other vaccine.
Back in April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received his first AstraZeneca shot, which has the potential to cause blood clotting. Trudeau chose Moderna as his second dose in early July. However, this vaccination sequence has not been approved by US regulatory authorities.
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Canada's National Immunization Advisory Committee changed its recommendations last month to allow second doses of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine after the first AstraZeneca vaccine.
Vaccination results in Canada
More than 57% of Canadians who are age— and health-eligible for vaccination are now fully vaccinated.
Dr. Nju said the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country has dropped to 4,700 — the last time such numbers were reported in August last year — and about 400 new cases are being reported every day.
The doctor also notes that 87% fewer people end up in hospitals each day than at the peak of the third wave in April, with an average of 9 covid deaths each day.
