A trial has begun in Great Britain to test the effectiveness of giving people different COVID-19 vaccines in their first and second doses, according to BBC News.
Under the current guidance, those who receive vaccinations must be given the same type of vaccine in both of their two doses.
If the £7m study proves to be successful, it will give the government much needed flexibility in its vaccination programme as well as helping rectify potential issues such as a disruption in the supply of a specific type of vaccine.
However, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has stated that it will take until at least the summer for changes to be made to the UK’s vaccine roll-out.
Mr Zahawi said: “At the moment, we’re not changing anything at all.”
Chief investigator of the study, Prof Matthew Snape from the University of Oxford, said: “It will be really interesting to see if the different delivery methods actually could lead to an enhanced immune response, or at least a response that’s as good as giving the straight schedule of the same doses.”
Image source: CNN
