HSE gives green light to mix vaccines

Anyone who had just one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 can now receive either Pfizer or Moderna as their second dose, the HSE has said.

Anyone who had just one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 can now receive either Pfizer or Moderna as their second dose, the HSE has said.

The decision to mix the vaccines is part of an effort to further speed up the rollout as Covid-19 cases continue to rise – Ireland is now the worst-affected EU country, according to the European Centre for Disease Control.

The decision to offer mixed vaccines follows updated advice from National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) director Dr Lucy Jessop, who said it was still preferable to get two doses of the same vaccine, stressing the “extensive research” done on AstraZeneca.

"However, for the small number of people who have not had a second dose of AstraZeneca, they now have the option to receive an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine dose [Pfizer or Moderna] instead, if it is suitable for them, which will mean they are fully vaccinated," she said.

International studies have repeatedly shown protection against the Delta variant is significantly higher for people who have two doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines than just one. 

A HSE spokeswoman said: "Studies have been done to check how a person’s immune system responds to getting a second dose of an mRNA vaccine after a first dose of AstraZeneca. 

The studies have shown that a person may have a stronger immune system response when compared to getting two doses of AstraZeneca.

“The strong immune response means that this combination of vaccines is expected to protect against Covid-19 disease but this has not yet been proven. It has also not yet been shown that this response gives you more protection against Covid-19 than two doses of AstraZeneca.” 

A list of centres offering this option is on the HSE website.

Ireland has highest 14-day incidence rate in EU

Meanwhile, the European Centre for Disease Control has said its data shows Ireland has the highest 14-day incidence rate in the EU – 504.11 cases per 100,000 population – followed by 496.06 in Cyprus and France at 403.23.

The Department of Health has confirmed 1,751 new cases of Covid-19 in its latest figures. There were 343 Covid patients in hospitals, including 59 in intensive care units.

However, the number of daily Covid-19 cases in Ireland has dropped by 1.7% since mid-May.

This follows a return yesterday to using the national surveillance centre, known as CIDR, having relied on temporary data systems since the devastating cyberattack on the HSE systems in mid-May.

“Due to data validation and slightly different upload schedules, the cumulative number of cases reported from CIDR, from 15th May to end of August 2021, has decreased by approximately 1,700 cases compared to what has been reported based on Covid Care Tracker and interim arrangements,” a spokesperson said.