[UPDATED] No plan to mix and match Covid-19 vaccines due to lack of data: health DG

PUTRAJAYA – The Health Ministry does not plan to mix and match Covid-19 vaccines due to a lack of adequate data on the matter, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

So far, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency has not received any data, evidence or report from vaccine companies on how vaccine mixture can successfully control Covid-19 infection, he said.

“We are still monitoring this situation (vaccine mix), and whether there is a need to implement (it). For now, there is still no need for it.

“If you mix Western and Eastern vaccines, especially, for example, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac, there is no evidence that it is successful,” he said yesterday.

Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry cannot recommend the method if there is no evidence as it needs to ensure the safety of the public.

“Only when there are studies, we can advise whether to mix the vaccine or not.”

The media has been reporting how Thailand, as part of its latest immunisation strategy, intends to use the AstraZeneca vaccine as a second dose for those who received Sinovac as their first dose.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also said mixing and matching vaccines should not be done by individuals, but by public agencies depending on available data.

While it may be interesting for those living in countries where the shot is in short supply, more studies are needed to ensure immunogenicity and safety, said a WHO spokesman, citing the organisation’s chief scientist.

According to the spokesman, an Oxford University-led clinical trial is ongoing to investigate mixing the regimen of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. This trial has been recently expanded to include the Moderna and Novavax vaccines.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said the country’s vaccination rate should be increased to 40% to reduce new Covid-19 cases.

This should be done immediately, as Malaysia is currently in a critical period following the increase in infections to five figures, he added.

He said a high vaccination rate is also able to prevent the high number of fatalities, as what happened in the United Kingdom, which saw one in 50 people die in January, when the percentage of the population vaccinated was lower.

Once the vaccination drive is expanded, fatalities there fell to one in a 1,000 people, and there are also fewer people hospitalised, he added.

Currently, he said, the vaccination rate in the country stands at 11.3%. – Bernama, July 14, 2021