brand logo

No confirmation on vaccine ‘mix-match’: Sudarshini

12 May 2021

  • ‘No local research; no word on int’l research’

By Hiranyada Dewasiri and Pamodi Waravita   Despite statements made by Co-Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila that specialists on the subject have stated that vaccines could be mixed and matched, The Morning learnt that the Sri Lankan health authorities have thus far not received any confirmation on the matter. When The Morning inquired as to whether administering one dose each from two kinds of vaccines has proven to be effective, State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid-19 Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said yesterday (11) that they have not received any confirmation on the matter so far. “No experiments on vaccine mixing and matching are being conducted in Sri Lanka. We have so far not received any confirmation on the research that is being conducted abroad either.” This contradicts the claim made by Gammanpila addressing reporters at yesterday’s cabinet media briefing, when he said that specialists on the matter have said that there are no issues in administering the two vaccine doses with two kinds of vaccines. “Specialists on the subject have said that there is no problem in administering the first dose of the vaccine from one kind and the second dose from another. The specialists in Sri Lanka will make the final call on the matter.” Furthermore, the Minister had stated that Sri Lanka is currently conducting discussions with South Africa and Indonesia to explore the possibility of securing stocks of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield doses manufactured by the Serum Institute of India that are in their possession. Sri Lanka is currently short of 600,000 Covishield doses to administer the second dose to those who received its first dose, as the Serum Institute of India has been unable to deliver the country’s order for vaccines due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in their country. Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said at a press conference last month that Sri Lanka could consider the possibility of administering the second dose from a different vaccine for those who have received Covishield as their first dose if the research that is being conducted on the matter reveals this to be effective. It was reported that the Ministry of Health is still awaiting the results of the vaccine mix-and-match research conducted internationally. In February, the UK launched a trial to test the results of mixing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Trials are also being carried out to look at the combination of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and the Sputnik V vaccine manufactured by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia. It is reported that Germany and France have recommended that first dose receivers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can receive the second dose from an mRNA vaccine (a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases which teaches cells how to make a protein or a piece of a protein that in turn triggers an immune response inside the body) alternative such as the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines in order to avoid the risk of rare blood clots that are suspected to be caused by the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.


More News..