“mixing the 2 different vaccines may work even better than getting 2 of the same”
Makes intuitive sense to me.
But as effective as these vaccines are, there is little room left for improvement, by mixing.
Just a single shot of any one, confers strong immunity. The huge Israeli (Clait) study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, gave a lot of detailed info on just how the immunity increased in the days and weeks after the first shot, and the second (of Pfizer and AstraZeneca). One shot does a solid job, given two or more weeks to work.
The point of mixing types is probably more for the convenience of not having to match the same type, and just use whatever happens to be in stock.
Yes that is my understanding. But since they are thinking of it, and/or doing it, may as well study it too.
I've also heard that some vaccination sites are offering a "first come first serve" (no appointment necessary but no guarantee of vaccination) at various hospitals to administer whatever leftover doses they have in the vials because of spoilage e.g. once it's taken out of the freezer and used they can't put it back so they are giving away whatever overages or missed appointment doses they have. Which I think is totally reasonable. Except that I've heard from a front line doctor that there has been a fair amount of insider dealing in vaccines e.g. doctors giving their 2nd cousins a white coat etc. At the hospital where my best friend of 35 years works, one of the doctors was put on administrative leave for dosing his extended family. As ever some corruption is to be expected I suppose.