'Dangerous trend': WHO chief scientist warns against mixing Covid vaccines

WHO chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan on Monday warned against mixing of different Covid-19 vaccines, adding that the World Health Organisation is still in a data free and evidence-free zone as far as mix and match of vaccines is concerned.

Calling it a dangerous trend, Swaminathan cautioned that it lead to chaos in many countries if citizens start deciding when and who will be taking a second, third, and fourth dose. The scientist said that while initial data may indicate that mixing vaccines might be a good approach, the long term impact remains unknown.

Swaminathan added that currently, only data on the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine and Pfizer vaccine is available. Most vaccines that are currently in use are double doses, with prescribed intervals between the 2 shots.

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