New study will test whether Covid-19 booster shots can be mixed with other brands shots

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has started clinical trials looking at the effects of mixing different COVID-19 vaccines.

Currently, vaccine manufacturers are in the process of developing booster shots to protect against more contagious and infectious variants. 

Adults will be enrolled who are fully vaccinated with one of the three vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S.: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

Some participants will get a booster shot made by the same company that made their initial doses and others will get the booster from a different firm.  

NIH researchers want to determine if mixing vaccines are not only safe but also boost immunity.

The NIH is performing a study to see if different Covid-19 vaccines can be mixed. They will be testing the Moderna booster shot on participants who received any of the three available vaccines to find which is the most effective in comating viru

Dr Fauci has said that a third booster shot will be necessary for Americans to remain safe from virus variants. Early trials from Pfizer show Americans could need their third shot as early as September

‘Although the vaccines currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer strong protection against COVID-19, we need to prepare for the possibility of needing booster shots to counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus,’ said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is leading and funding the study.

‘The results of this trial are intended to inform public health policy decisions on the potential use of mixed vaccine schedules should booster doses be indicated.’

The study, led by a researcher from Baylor College, will include 150 Americans who already are fully vaccinated.

Each member of the study, no matter which of the vaccines they received, will receive a dose of a Moderna booster shot designed to combat vaccine variants.

Participants who initially received the Moderna shot will also receive the Moderna booster in order to function as a control group. 

Data will be collected over the next year, and participants will be evaluated to find how safe they are from the virus, and also if there are any unique side effects to mixing vaccines. 

There will also be a separate group of unvaccinated individuals who will receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine for the study and then be given the third shot anywhere from 12 to 20 weeks later. 

Members of the study who fall ill with COVID-19 the virus will be tested to see if they contracted a variant, and it will be determined what vaccine combination is most effective against the many variants of the virus.

Initial results for the study are expected by late summer.  

Announcement of the study comes as Americans may soon need another booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in order to stay safe from the virus.  

Fauci and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla both told Axios last month that a third dose of their vaccine will likely be required for Americans.

Early clinical trials show the third dose could be needed as early as September for those who received the vaccine early on. 

The booster shots are likely to be required because of the many variants of the virus circulating around the world, with many more likely to form as the pandemic continues in other countries in 2021 and beyond. 

Currently, more than 60 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but there are reports of millions not showing up to receive their second dose.