Is mixing and matching different Covid-19 vaccines safe and effective against Covid-19?


Maria Betina Pampena, PhD Maria Betina Pampena, PhD

There are now multiple highly effective Covid-19 vaccines that are based on different approaches towards targeting Covid-19, however the global access to these vaccines is not evenly spread throughout the world. For example, the mRNA based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are widely available in the US, but are not as accessible in Southeast Asia, South and Central America, Africa, or parts of Europe. In other parts of the world, the accessible vaccines are J+J, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V and Astrazeneca and also differ from the mRNA based platforms. With the different types of vaccine platforms and accessibility around the world, there is now interest in determining if mixing and matching these vaccines are safe and effective in preventing severe Covid-19, and also addressing global vaccine inequities where mixing vaccines could be a solution to help speed up vaccinations in vaccine-deprived nations.

Dr. Maria Betina Pampena is actively following the latest developments around these mix/match studies that are occuring around the world and has provided the following infographic on the latest studies.

Combinations Graphic

The key takeaway is that we can definitively feel more comfortable with mix-and-match: Several studies suggest that mixing COVID-19 vaccines provokes potent immune responses and is safe. More studies are underway evaluating different combinations and monitoring long-term effects as outlined in the infographic above.