German Vaccination Committee Recommends Pfizer or Moderna for Second Dose After First AZ Vaccination

German Health Minister: "Delta Variant Expected to Account for 70-80% of New Infections in July"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] On the 1st (local time), the German Standing Committee on Vaccination recommended that everyone who received the first dose of AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine should receive the second dose as a heterologous vaccination with Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

According to AFP and other sources, the committee cited research results indicating that receiving the AZ vaccine, a viral vector type, for the first dose followed by an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine for the second dose produces a better immune response compared to receiving two doses of the AZ vaccine, and thus recommended this approach.

The committee recommended this heterologous vaccination regardless of age and stated that the interval between the first and second doses should be at least four weeks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also received the AZ vaccine as her first dose in April and recently received the Moderna vaccine as her second dose in a heterologous vaccination.

The committee further emphasized the importance of the second dose, citing UK research results, noting that the Delta variant, first identified in India, has reduced protection with only one dose.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn predicted that the Delta variant would account for 70 to 80% of new infections in Germany this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.