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Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 02 Jul 2021
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Berlin: Germany's Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) Thursday suggested that people who receive the first dose of AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine should receive an m-RNA shot as their second dose, regardless of their age.
STIKO said that "current study results" reveal "clearly superior" immune response generated after a mixed dose vaccination, according to a CNN report.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves only Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Moderna shot in June as her second dose after a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier, paving the way for mixed vaccine administration.
On June 17, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization said that "an mRNA vaccine is now preferred as the second dose for individuals who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine", CNN reported.
According to a University of Oxford press release, the paper found that "both 'mixed' schedules (Pfizer-BioNTech followed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Oxford-AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer-BioNTech) induced high concentrations of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG protein when doses were administered four weeks apart."