Hi all. Trying to get some some thoughts here. My parents have taken covishield Vaccine both doses from India. This is inactive virus vaccine designed by Astrazeneca. There are several covid cases in icu in india with people having been fully vaccinated with this vaccine. They are now visiting the states. Should I have them also take one or two mrna vaccine Doses (pfizer or moderna)? Just to be more cautious. Please advise or share thoughts?
In theory this should be ok to do. However, there are no clinical trials done in mixing/matching different technology vaccines for COVID, what side effects it'll have and whether that improves the overall efficacy..so I wouldn't do it if I were you, not until there is more data available. P.S. AstraZeneca has ~82% efficacy after both doses are taken and 2 weeks have elapsed. No vaccine will give 100% efficacy, Although Pfizer and Moderna *seem* to have better efficacy.. I'm told we can't compare efficacy percentages though since both trials may have happened under different control environment.. so just because AstraZeneca has lower efficacy on paper may not necessarily mean it's less effective that Pfizer or Moderna.
I also just wonder if Astra zeneca is that good, why does US government not use it. They also have a large stockpile.. In US the covid is mostly controlled after getting mass vaccinations. This is a unique scenario and when I asked couple of practicing docs who don't specialize in vaccine science, they did not have any comments.
Thanks Googler for the statistical perspective
Also, consulting a doctor is a better thing to do than asking over here
Ask a doctor than relying on Blind. In general, vaccine cocktails specifically for old aged people shouldnât be done, unless advised by doctor.
Op, isn't travel from india to usa banned? How are your parents able to come then?
They made it just on time. Ban from may 4th.
Great to hear that!
I've seen an advice from a doctor about 3 months between completely different vaccine types. Aside from side effects it doesn't hurt to do any dose.
I second opinion from googler - thereâs no clinical data now on interaction. You donât want to risk it - no one knows if it will put immune system on overdrive and get auto immune disorders going. Wait for clinical data on booster shots/mixing vaccines . That would be better since booster shots will factor in variants till that point
+1 on autoimmune. However I don't think all combinations will be studied
Thank you fbhs02 and hrdcoregrl. Perhaps I think now best to wait for some more time and get them MRNA based vaccine 3 months after second dose of Astrazeneca. Or follow any relevant study if anything does gets published..
They have option tot he best vaccine in the world only one effective to the variants. They need COVAXIN.
I was in the same situation. Parents visiting from India where they got the first shot on March 6th. I delayed their return as the situation in India is bad. There is no clear answer to the vaccine mixing problem yet but here is what a doctor who is a family friend in the US suggested. 1. Get an antibody test 2. If you have antibodies then don't take vaccine dose here. Wait till parents go back to India to get second shot. 3. If you have low or zero antibodies take J&J if they are leaving for India soon if not take either pfzier or moderna. I got their antibody test done at a pharmacy and Mom had very low and Dad had zero antibodies. They got their first pfizer shot yesterday. No symptoms or adverse reactions so far.
What is the test? The one was ordered by doctor didnt show quantity, only +/-
The vaccines donât prevent you from getting covid They just significantly reduce the symptoms if you do get covid