British Researchers Combine Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines

PfizerBiontech vaccine (left) and AstraZeneca vaccine. (VOI)

JAKARTA - A team of researchers in the UK launched a test of the resulting immune response from the combination of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and AstraZeneca Plc in two injection schedules.

In addition, the aim of vaccinating people with these two types of vaccines is to find out whether vaccination can be done more flexibly around the world. Later, preliminary data from this trial are expected to be produced in June 2021.

The trial will examine the immune response of the initial dose of the Pfizer vaccine followed by the AstraZeneca vaccine and vice versa at intervals of 4 and 12 weeks.

Both the mRNA injection developed by Pfizer-Biotech and the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca are currently being launched in the UK with a 12-week gap between the two doses of the same vaccine.

The research team hopes that later they can try more COVID-19 vaccines, once they are authorized for use and officially launched.

"Recruitment for this study begins on Thursday, with more than 800 participants expected to take part. This is much smaller than the clinical trials that have been used to determine vaccine efficacy on an individual basis", the researchers said.

Interestingly, this trial looked for people over the age of 50, who had a higher risk than younger people who had not been vaccinated.

In addition, this trial will not assess the overall efficacy of the injection combination, but the researchers will measure the antibody and T-cell responses, and monitor for any unexpected side effects.

Oxford vaccination who is leading the trial, Matthew Snape said preliminary results could inform the implementation of the vaccine in the second half of this year.

"We will have some results, we predict, in June or thereabouts, we will inform the use of booster doses in the general public", he told reporters.