Canada allows combined vaccinations against COVID-19 vaccines

Those who have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine can receive a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, unless they are pregnant.

(Source: Getty Images) National Advisory Committee on Immunity of Canada (NACI) on June 1 announced updated guidelines allowing the combination of preventive vaccines COVID-19 licensed in the country in most cases. Under the new guidelines, people who have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine can receive a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, unless they are pregnant. So far, Canada has allowed the use of 4 types vaccine against COVID-19 of pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The new guidelines also say that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be used in combination for both the first and second shots. However, the NACI does not recommend a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine following the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for safety reasons and limited data on the use of this combination. Speaking at a press conference on June 1, Canada’s public health official Theresa Tam said, “NACI is working to quickly adopt new guidelines for vaccine use in the country to ensure optimal protection of people in the context of the changing epidemic situation.” Tam also added that although according to the new NACI recommendation that vaccines can be safely used in combination, people should use the same vaccine for two injections if possible, especially Pfizer’s vaccine. or Moderna. According to Ms. Tam, the use of vaccine combinations is not a new concept and has long been applied by public health to many vaccines. The updated NACI guidelines are based on current studies from Spain and the UK that show the combination of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines to be safe and effective against COVID-19. As of the afternoon of June 1, 2021, 21,942,111 Canadians, equivalent to 57.75% of the country’s population, received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 2,144,126 people, equivalent to 5.64%, second injection. The disease situation in the North American country is also continuing to decline with the number of new cases per day in the last 7 days being below 2,700 cases, the average death per day decreased to 39 cases. As of the afternoon of June 1, Canada recorded 1,248 new cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 1,382,822, of which 25,565 people have died. On the same day, according to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Buenos Aires, an adviser to Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, Cecilia Nicolini, said that she is considering the possibility of cooperating with Cuba to produce a vaccine against COVID-19 researched and manufactured by Cuba in order to prevent COVID-19 infection. distributed to the Latin American market. In an interview with Sputnik news agency, Ms. Nicolini announced that during the recent visit to Cuba by the Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti, the Argentine side was introduced to the progress in the process of research and development of vaccines. COVID-19 of Cuba, and affirmed Argentina’s desire to cooperate in the production of this drug so that it can meet the actual demand as soon as possible, not only in Cuba and Argentina but also in other countries in the world. area. Currently, Cuba has 5 candidates for COVID-19 vaccine, namely Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Soberana Plus, Mambisa and Abdala with very positive prospects, in which candidates Soberana 02 and Abdala have successfully finished the phase. clinical trials 1 and 2 with high rates of safety and efficacy. According to Nicolini, in the coming days, the Cuban side will present data analysis of the third phase of testing of these two vaccines and the two sides will conduct negotiations on the possibility of mass production. Currently La Soberana 02 and Abdala are the only two COVID-19 vaccines researched by a Latin American country that have entered the final phase of clinical trials.