"'Pfizer 1st & 2nd doses + Moderna' more effective than Pfizer 3rd dose"

Japanese Government: "Cross Vaccination Causes More Side Effects"

On the 13th, a COVID-19 prevention publicity vehicle operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government passed through the rainy streets of Shibuya.

The Japanese government announced on the 18th that receiving two doses of the Pfizer vaccine followed by an additional Moderna vaccine provides greater COVID-19 prevention effectiveness than receiving three doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

According to NHK and other Japanese media, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare research team reported these findings at an expert meeting held that day.

For those who received the Pfizer vaccine for the first and second doses and the Moderna vaccine for the third dose, antibody levels reached 67.9 times after one month, which was higher than the 54.1 times antibody level observed in those who received Pfizer for all three doses.

This result was based on an analysis of 233 people who received Moderna for the third dose and 396 people who received Pfizer.

However, side effects were more common among those who received Moderna for the third dose.

The rates of fever, fatigue, and headache among those who received Pfizer for the first and second doses and Moderna for the third dose were 49.2%, 78%, and 69.6%, respectively. These rates were higher than those who received Pfizer for all three doses, which were 21.4%, 69.1%, and 55%, respectively.

The side effect survey was conducted on 437 people who received Moderna for the third dose and 2,626 people who received Pfizer.

According to Kyodo News, Professor Ito Suminobu, a visiting professor at Juntendo University who was responsible for the analysis, said, "It is presumed that Moderna has slightly higher effectiveness," adding, "It would be good to decide which vaccine to receive by considering the balance between effectiveness and side effects."

Meanwhile, recently in Japan, there has been a tendency to avoid cross-vaccination with Moderna for the third dose among those who received Pfizer for the first and second doses.

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