KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th July, 2021) The Ukraine's Health Ministry considers mixing different COVID-19 vaccines in case the second injection of the same drug can not be administered for some reason, Chief Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said on Sunday.
"The Health Ministry of Ukraine makes such decisions based on the international studies results, the vaccine producer's recommendations and the analysis of similar experience of other states. The national technical expert group on immunization as the main deliberative body of the Health Ministry recommended to allow so-called mixing vaccines provided certain conditions are strictly followed," Kuzin told the Ukrainian Apostrophe news outlet.
The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be injected after the Moderna shot in case vaccination can not be completed with the same product, according to the official.
Kuzin added that if a person develops a severe allergic reaction to the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the second injection can be Pfizer.
"The corresponding ruling of the expert group has already been made, thus now the question of issuing a corresponding decree and development of detailed step-by-step instructions for such cases is being considered," Kuzin concluded.
The vaccination drive in Ukraine began on February 24. The Eastern European country's vaccine portfolio includes Covishield (produced by AstraZeneca in India), CoronaVac (produced by the Chinese Sinovac), AstraZeneca, Comirnaty (produced by Pfizer), and Moderna. Only 1,702,884 people are fully vaccinated in the 41-million nation.
