DNA Explainer: What happens if you take one shot of Covaxin and the other of Covishield?

Amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, India has started the third phase of its vaccination drive across the country. Since this is a new disease and the vaccine to prevent it has been made in a record time, people have their own hesitations and doubts about it.

As of now, the Indian government had given nod to two vaccines - AstraZeneca's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Only recently Russian Sputnik V vaccine has received clearance in India.

Over 17.7 crore people have been vaccinated with either Covishield (AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) or Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited), out of whom over 3.9 crore people have got the second dose.

Now a frequent question arises is that can one take Covaxin as a second shot if you have taken Covishield for the first short and vice versa. Experts at present are of the opinion that it should NOT be done. They say that these are two different types of vaccines and should not be taken by the same individual. The second dose has to be of the same vaccine as the first.

Trials on mixing two different shots

Trials are going on to ascertain whether the mixing of vaccines could benefit patients. Several reports however suggest that a different second dose could help build better immunity against the virus.

Recently, a study assessing the benefits of mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines has been extended to include the Moderna and Novavax jabs, news agency PTI reported.

The Com-Cov study, led by the University of Oxford, has been investigating the immune responses of volunteers given a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine followed by the Pfizer jab, and vice versa, since February.

Researchers will be looking for adverse reactions and the immune system responses to these new combinations of vaccines. 

UP man gets two different shots

A man in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh was allegedly administered shots of two different Covid vaccines. 

The man, Umesh, works as a driver for the Chief Development Officer (CDO), Maharajganj, Gaurav Singh Sogarwal.

Umesh, who had received Covaxin shots for the first dose, was administered Covishield vaccine instead of Covaxin. 

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) AK Srivastava clarified that no side effect has been seen due to the mixup.