The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Corona vaccination: first AstraZeneca, then Biontech

2021-05-22T18:36:27.161Z


Initial study results suggest that cross-vaccination against Sars-CoV-2 is not only possible, but could even increase its effectiveness. The most important questions and answers at a glance.


Enlarge image

A second vaccination is important.

But does it have to be the same vaccine?

Photo: Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON / imago images / Sven Simon

It is possible to combine two different vaccines against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus: a first vaccination with AstraZeneca, a second dose with an mRNA vaccine, for example from Biontech / Pfizer or Moderna.

According to a study by the Spanish Ministry of Health, cross-vaccination is not only possible, but also makes sense, because it could even offer greater protection against Covid-19 infection than two vaccinations with the vector vaccine from AstraZeneca.

What does that mean?

And for whom is a combination of two vaccines even an option?

The most important questions and answers at a glance:

Which vaccines can be combined?

The survey by the Spanish Ministry of Health examined how a combination of the vector vaccine from AstraZeneca and the mRNA vaccine from the manufacturer Biontech / Pfizer works.

Presumably, says vaccine expert Leif Erik Sander from the Berlin Charité, the mRNA vaccine from Moderna could be used as a second dose.

"The vaccines are made so similar that I don't expect any difference," he says.

Sander heads the Infection Immunology and Vaccine Research research group at Charité Berlin.

Are you researching other combinations?

At the University of Oxford, research is currently underway, among other things, into how the vaccine effect changes if - in reverse order - an mRNA vaccine is administered first and a vector vaccine in the second dose.

Results are not yet available.

In addition to the vaccines from AstraZeneca, Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna, a fourth Sars-CoV-2 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is approved in Germany.

This vector vaccine is protected 28 days after the first and only dose.

It is not yet known whether the effect can be increased at Johnson & Johnson by combining the preparation with another vaccine.

How does efficacy change when AstraZeneca is followed by a dose of an mRNA vaccine?

The preliminary results of the Spanish study with 679 subjects aged 18 to 59 show that the antibody level on a second dose with Biontech was between 30 and 40 times higher than in a control group that received only one dose of AstraZeneca.

more on the subject

Generational injustice when it comes to vaccination: Leave the boys a little bit of Biontech! A comment by Claus Hecking

Leif Erik Sander explains it like this: "You avoid a problem that arises when you administer the same vector vaccine twice." Antibodies were already formed after the first vaccination with AstraZeneca.

These antibodies fought the vector viruses that are supposed to be reintroduced into the body's cells with the second dose.

“So the vaccination effect of the second vaccination is much lower.

This is called vector immunity. "

He is convinced that a combination of a vector vaccine and an mRNA vaccine elicits a better immune response than a double vaccination with a vector vaccine.

However, the immune response increases enormously with a second dose of Biontech / Pfizer or Moderna even if the first vaccination with the mRNA vaccine has already taken place.

It cannot be read from the study by the Spanish Ministry of Health that the response is better after cross-vaccination than after two doses with an mRNA vaccine.

Further studies will follow.

And Sander is optimistic: "I expect that the immune responses will be good," says the scientist.

Who is cross vaccination for?

People under 60 who received a primary vaccination with AstraZeneca will be offered a vaccination offering with an mRNA vaccine, says Sander.

This is also the recommendation of the Stiko, the permanent vaccination commission.

The background: Due to an increased risk of thrombosis, the AstraZeneca vaccine is only recommended for people over 60 years of age.

Does this also apply to people over the age of 60?

No, at least not so far.

The problem is the approval: “

You could also do that

for people over 60

,

” says Sander, “but the combination is not approved like this.

The vaccines are approved so that the same vaccine is given twice. "

If cross-vaccination is not permitted, this creates a liability problem for doctors who do the vaccination.

Unlike for people under 60, there is no Stiko recommendation for a combination vaccination for over-60s.

The expert does not believe that this will soon change.

Do I have to take care of anything if I'm under 60 and have an appointment for a second dose with AstraZeneca?

The RKI says: Everyone under the age of 60 who has an appointment for a second vaccination should stick to it.

In the vaccination center, he or she will then receive the vaccination offer with an mRNA vaccine in accordance with the recommendations of Stiko.

This also applies if the invitation or confirmation letter says something else.

It is not possible in the vaccination centers to get a second dose of AstraZeneca contrary to the Stiko recommendation.

Even in general practices, people under 60 who have already been vaccinated with AstraZeneca should receive a second vaccination with Biontech or Moderna.

How compatible is a combination of two vaccines?

Research is also currently being carried out into the compatibility of the combinations: A study by the University of Oxford has shown that people who had a second vaccination with another vaccine reported mild or moderate vaccination reactions - for example headaches or chills.

The reactions were stronger than after a second dose of AstraZeneca.

Other studies - including a current study by the Charité that is available to SPIEGEL - suggested that tolerability would be significantly better if a longer interval between vaccination doses was observed, says Sander.

With a second vaccination after 12 instead of four weeks, the reactions were significantly milder.

What does that mean for the summer vacation?

Sander considers proposals to reduce the interval between a first and second vaccination to be "not useful".

A longer distance not only improves tolerability, but presumably also improves effectiveness.

All of this speaks against shortening the distance.

But: Since good protection is built up weeks after the first vaccination, you should still be able to go on vacation, says Leif Erik Sander - depending on the respective regulations, of course.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2021-05-22

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.