AstraZeneca / mRNA COVID-19 vaccine combo may be more effective than 2 of the same jab

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-27 11:30

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800px-Pfizer-BioNTech_COVID-19_vaccine_(2020)_C By U.S. Secretary of Defense, CC BY 2.0

German scientists say having one jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine followed by a second jab of an mRNA vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna, resulted in a stronger immune response than having two jabs of AstraZeneca, and an equally strong or stronger immune response than two jabs of an mRNA vaccine. Certain immune cell levels (spike-specific CD8 T cells) were also higher with the combo than with either single vaccine regime, they add. Having one jab of AstraZeneca followed by an mRNA vaccine resulted in a similar reaction to having the second of two mRNA jabs, which can leave recipients feeling unwell for a few days, they say. Combining the two vaccine types is currently recommended in Germany.

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Journal/
conference: Nature Medicine

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Saarland University, Germany

Funder: Financial support was given by the State Chancellery of the Saarland.

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