Small ICMR study finds vaccine mixing safe, offers better immunity

The researchers, however, have made it clear that the evidence is very limited and called for multi-centre randomised clinical trials to conclusively prove the findings.

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This study comes months after several people in Uttar Pradesh received Covishield as the first dose followed by inadvertent administration of Covaxin as the second dose. (File)

A limited study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) among 18 participants has found that a combination of Covishield and Covaxin shots is safe and, in fact, offers better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine.

The researchers, however, have made it clear that the evidence is very limited and called for multi-centre randomised clinical trials to conclusively prove the findings.

”The reactogenicity profile of the participants of the heterologous group demonstrated that mixing of the two vaccines derived from different platforms is safe,” said the study, conducted by ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre and ICMR-National Institute of Virology. It has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Travel Medicine.

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This study comes months after several people in Uttar Pradesh received Covishield as the first dose followed by inadvertent administration of Covaxin as the second dose.

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Dr Rajni Kant, director of ICMR’s Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, and lead author, told The Indian Express that this was a small study involving 18 participants.

They received a vaccination regimen of Covishield followed by Covaxin. The participants did not report any adverse event following immunization and demonstrated high antibody response.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More

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