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Covid 19 vaccination with Astrazeneca followed by Biontech/Pfizer vaccine is safe and highly effective, according to study data from Spain. According to the data, antibody levels were between 30 and 40 times higher at the second dose with the Biontech vaccine compared with a control group that received only one dose of Astrazeneca.
In addition, the combination of the two vaccines apparently increases efficacy, according to preliminary results of the Combivacs study published Tuesday by Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute. Levels of neutralizing antibodies increased more than sevenfold after the Biontech dose, significantly more than the doubling observed after a second AstraZeneca dose.
Because of an increased risk of thrombosis after an AstraZeneca vaccination, a second vaccination with an mRNA vaccine such as from the German company Biontech and its U.S. partner Pfizer or from the U.S. company Moderna is recommended in many countries for certain groups of people. So far, however, there have been no data on the efficacy of this combination.
Last week, Oxford University had published initial study results showing that people receiving two different Covid 19 vaccines were more likely to report mild or moderate side effects, such as headache or chills, than when they were given two doses of the same agent.
From the Spanish study, only 1.7 percent of participants reported severe side effects, which were limited to headache, muscle aches and general malaise. “These are not symptoms that can be considered serious,” said Magdalena Campins, one of the study leaders. The study involved just over 679 volunteers aged 18 to 59 who received AstraZenca as their first vaccination. Just under 450 of them received Biontech as a second dose.
- hp, with reports from vienna.at and dpa/picture: screenshots
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