This archive report was first published on 13 July 2021.
Published on July 13, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers.
According to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO chief scientist, there is little data on the health impact of mixing different vaccines.
Speaking during an online briefing, Dr. Swaminathan expressed concerns about the trend of mixing and matching vaccines, stating, 'It's a little bit of a dangerous trend here. We are in a data-free, evidence-free zone as far as mix and match.'
She further warned that if citizens start deciding when and who will be taking a second, third, or fourth dose, it will lead to a chaotic situation in countries.
Currently, there are at least five vaccines widely administered around the world, including the AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sputnik V, which are administered in two doses with pre-decided intervals between both shots.
However, the Russian Sputnik V has a single-dose shot called Sputnik V Lite, and the Johnson & Johnson shot is also a single-shot vaccine.
