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Covid-19: Saudi Arabia approves mixing of vaccine brands

Riyadh - Experts from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health announced that the approach could possibly provide better protection against the virus.

Published: Thu 24 Jun 2021, 9:38 AM

Updated: Thu 24 Jun 2021, 9:43 AM

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Reuters

Reuters

Saudi Arabia announced that it has approved the mixing of Covid-19 vaccine brands.

The Kingdom’s Ministry of Health, according to Arab News, will begin providing second doses of the vaccine from different brands.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority (Weqaya) authorized the move for either the first or second dose of the vaccine. This was done after reviewing the findings of several studies that tested the method’s safety and efficacy.

Experts from the Ministry have said that the mix-and-match approach could possibly provide better protection against the virus, as studies have shown that it triggers a more robust and longer-lasting immune response, possibly protecting patients from emerging Covid-19 variants.

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia also announced the launch of their second vaccine dose programme. This will cover those of 50 and older who took the first dose, starting June 24.

The Ministry announced on Thursday that the immunisation programme against Covid-19 has covered 70 per cent of the adult population in Saudi Arabia.



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