Earlier this month 20 UP villagers were given Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin when they went for their second dose; they were given Covishield on their first visit in early April
New Delhi:
Significant adverse effects are “unlikely” if an individual’s second Covid vaccine dose is different from the first, the centre said Thursday afternoon, in response to controversy over a group of Uttar Pradesh villagers being given mixed doses at a government hospital in Siddharthnagar district.
“This should be looked into. We will have to wait for more scientific understanding… but even if two doses of two different vaccines are given, this should not be a cause of concern,” Dr VK Paul, the Chair of NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19), said.
“Any significant adverse effect is unlikely… but we need more scrutiny,” he added.
Earlier this month 20 UP villagers were given Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin when they went for the mandatory second dose. They were administered Covishield on their first visit in early April.
“This is definitely an oversight. There are no instructions from the government to administer a cocktail of vaccines. I have asked for an explanation from those who are guilty. We will take whatever action is possible,” Sandeep Chaudhary, the district’s Chief Medical Officer, said.
The effectiveness, or impact, of mixing vaccines is still a subject of global research.
Two weeks ago the preliminary results of a study that mixed doses was published in The Lancet.
People who got a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine (sold in India as Covishield) followed by a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine four weeks later reported more short-lived side effects – most mild – researchers from Oxford University reported.
The study has yet to show, however, how well such a cocktail might defend against the virus.
The mix-up in Uttar Pradesh was not part of any study; at least one of the villagers told reporters nobody from the state’s health department had checked up on them.
“I found out later I had been administered Covaxin. A doctor told us something wrong happened,” Ram Surat, an elderly man, said, adding, “When I went for my second dose no one bothered to check anything. In place of Covishield I got Covaxin. It is scary. I am worried.”
Researchers and public health officials across the world are figuring out if mixing two vaccines can help low- and middle-income nations cope with the scarcity of doses, but there is still concern over possible side-effects and if the cocktail will actually protect people from the COVID-19 virus.
