By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Covid-19 Sinopharm vaccine can now be mixed with any other World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccine.
On Thursday evening, the Ministry of Health confirmed information that was earlier released by WHO regarding the mixture of approved vaccines stating that the vaccine protocols will be immediately revised.
WHO released updated guidelines on Covid-19 vaccination, which indicate that any of the Covid-19 vaccines which have received a WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) may be used interchangeably.
Previously, only certain combinations of the varying brands of vaccines were approved – AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer and AstraZeneca followed by Moderna.
The ministry said the new guidelines were based on recommendations from the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation. The advisory group met on December 7 to address the matter and the official Interim Recommendations for Heterologous Covid-19 Vaccine Schedules document was only released on Thursday.
The ministry stated, “The current vaccine protocols for Trinidad and Tobago will be revised immediately in accordance with these updated WHO guidelines. These changes will therefore be reflected in the Covid-19 vaccines and vaccine combinations which are accepted for both the TT Safe Zone initiative and for entry into T&T.
“This means that persons who received two doses of any combination of WHO approved Covid-19 vaccines with a two-dose regimen will now be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receipt of the final dose. Persons who received a single dose of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine will continue to be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receipt of the vaccine.”
The Ministry of Health added, “The public is also advised that any WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccine may be used as a booster dose for another Covid-19 vaccine. Example, the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine may be used as a booster for persons who have received two doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.”
Members of the public are being advised to consult with their health care provider to determine which vaccine is appropriate for each individual, in order to make an informed decision.
The following COVID-19 Vaccines have received WHO EUL approval:
- Pfizer-BioNTech – Approved December 31, 2020;
- AstraZeneca – Approved February 15, 2021;
- Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) – Approved March 12, 2021;
- Moderna-NIAID – Approved April 30, 2021;
- Sinopharm BIBP- Approved May 7, 2021;
- Sinovac-CoronaVac – Approved June 1, 2021; and
- Covaxin BBV152 – Approved November, 3 2021
The population of Trinidad and Tobago has been vaccinated with four of those vaccines – AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson.
