Reuters/Blair Gable
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- He got a shot of the Moderna vaccine to follow his first AstraZeneca shot.
- Mixing vaccine doses is currently allowed in Canada, but not approved in the US.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this morning. He joins a growing number of people who have mixed and matched their doses.
Trudeau received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in April, and previously said he planned to get a second shot from the same manufacturer when it's available. But today, he followed up his AstraZeneca shot with a dose of Moderna.
-Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) July 2, 2021
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its guidance at the beginning of June to recommend that people who got one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine follow up with a second dose of either Moderna or Pfizer. Canadians are also allowed to mix and match Pfizer and Moderna.
The agency noted that, due to the risk of people developing rare blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine, offering alternative vaccines was "ethically justifiable."
Studies have shown that combining different vaccines may trigger a stronger reaction than sticking to a single kind. Still, the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stood firmly against mixing vaccines.
Trudeau's second vaccination may mark a shift towards allowing mix-and-match vaccines, which could accelerate the global vaccine rollout.