No mixing of vaccines, booster shots at this time - Bisasor-McKenzie

The Ministry of Health and Wellness says it will not employ the mixing of vaccines to boost Jamaica's COVID-19 vaccination rate, even as it prepares to dump approximately 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca.  

The doses are set to expire on October 31.

“At this time, there is no recommendation for the mixing of vaccines,” Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie said while speaking at a virtual COVID-19 press conference this morning.

Bisasor-McKenzie said the recommendation from the World Health Organization is for persons to take the same vaccine previously administered for a second dose.

Last Wednesday, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the mixing of vaccines for booster shots for citizens but Bisasor-McKenzie said the health ministry remains cautious.

“We note that mixing is happening in some countries and the information is changing as more studies are done. A second dose of Pfizer after AstraZeneca has been shown to produce good response and has been found to be safe as well and this is promising but larger studies for us are needed to formulate recommendations,” she said.

The chief medical officer said the ministry is awaiting further guidelines from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunisation in this regard.

Meanwhile, she told journalists that COVID-19 vaccines continue to show high levels of protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death.

She said, as a result, there is no recommendation for booster shots after primary immunisation at this time.

“We know that as time passes and more studies are done then persons do want to ensure that boosters are given at the appropriate time. But right now the vaccines have been shown to be holding up and so there is no necessity at this time for the booster,” said Bisasor-McKenzie.

Approximately 12 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

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