The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has advised vaccines can be mixed in some limited circumstances.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has signed off on the move and has also confirmed a vaccine booster programme is in the works.
The mixing of different types of vaccine will be limited – for instance, where someone has had an adverse reaction to dose one, or has serious concerns about taking a second dose of the same vaccine, they may be given another as an alternative option – a first dose of AstraZeneca may be followed by a second dose of Pfizer, or vice versa.
NIAC is expected to make a recommendation on a potential campaign of booster vaccines next week – no decision has been taken as of yet, but if the booster programme was given the green light it’s likely the first jabs would be given towards the end of September.
