Pfizer, Moderna vaccines now preferred second dose for AstraZeneca recipients: NACI

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is now recommending people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine first should get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second shot.

NACI had previously said AstraZeneca recipients could choose whether to get a second dose of the same vaccine, or an mRNA vaccine.

But in new guidance released Thursday, NACI says Pfizer or Moderna are now  “preferred” as the second dose.

The advice doesn’t mean people can’t still choose AstraZeneca if they want, or if they are allergic to the mRNA vaccines.

“People who received two doses of AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection
against severe disease and hospitalization,” says NACI.

As of June 5, 2.1 million Canadians had received one dose of AstraZeneca, and 15,186 had received two doses.

There are no further shipments of AstraZeneca scheduled, but there are still about half a million doses of it in provinces.