Going home to America, should I mix vaccines?

[ValerieMalone]

I’m American but my husband is British and we’ve lived in the U.K. for 11 years. I had the first AZ vaccine in March. I had planned to wait until America got on the green list to go there but something has come up and I need to go this week. While I am there I can easily get a Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I’ve read that preliminary data shows that mixing the vaccines could provide more protection. At the very least, it doesn’t seem to be unsafe. I won’t be here to get my second AZ dose and I am very tempted to get a Pfizer or Moderna jab. I’ve done a good bit of research but I’m curious what other people would do. Would you mix vaccines if you could? And if so would you get both doses?

I would but I'm fairly happy with risk. It seems to work well in terms of protection www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01359-3 and long-term damage from vaccines of not likely so I'd go for it.

I don't know if I'd get the second dose. I'd watch the research.

I think I would go for it because the pfizer is currently showing to provide better protection and they are doing this in some countries already.
The only reason I would not do it is if you have any autoimmune or blood clotting conditions. I am not medically trained so please take what I say with a pinch of salt - but I have these conditions and decided to have two AZ as I was worried my body would over react getting two different type jabs.

Well I’d take medical advice, but if the docs gave the ok I would

Would they allow you to do that in the US without checking if you had previously had a vaccine first? Or if your first dose was March could you get a second vaccine appointment here now before you go?

I won’t be here to get my second AZ dose How long are you going to be away? You could have the second jab when you get back. If you miss your appointment, you will be invited to make another one. Your eligibility does not have an expiry date.

I'm in the US and I was about to say that I haven't heard of anyone here getting the AZ vaccine. But I've just re-read your message and it seems that you have the choice of going back to the UK for your second dose. As far as I'm aware, mixing vaccines isn't done here. I certainly haven't heard of anyone who has done it so not sure how easy it would be.

I’d go and have the second vaccine there. Given the choice, I’d probably go for Moderna or Pfizer. I’m on the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson two dose trial here in the UK and was very unwell for 36 hours after my second dose. I don’t think I’d want to feel like that away from home.

Mixing vaccines trial showed stronger side effects, but hasn't reported on immunity yet. AZ has more side effects for first dose and Pfizer/ Moderna for second, so you've had most side effects if you don't mix.

Just get the AZ dose early, if you had the vaccine in March you must be in week 8, so you can have it at any pop-up / walk-in, or move the appointment online.

Have AZ x2 - can you not have the second one before you go as you are week 8?

The main reason is that you will be unable to get your Nhs record or any other vaccine passport to show what you had if you don’t. If you want to have the benefits of free travel etc that that will bring, you will need to have both vaccines in the uk - which means two AZ.

Ideally I’d be trying to get az before I went (there are walk in clinics doing Az round here) OR when I got back.
Otherwise yeah I’d probably get one when there, there are thousands in the UK doing similar as part of the com-cov trial. I don’t think there are significant safety concerns yet, and some combinations could well be more effective than two doses of the same.

And @CaramelWaferAndTea makes a good point that you might not be able to get your nhs app to show you’re fully vaxxed unless you had two doses here. Not an issue right now but could be.

One problem you will get is in relation to how your vaccine record is maintained. Getting vaccinated in the uk means that your GP record and therefore the NHS app is fed data on your vaccine status. This data can be searched and extracted.

If you get vaccinated overseas, your GP can make a note of this and could scan in any record of it to your GP notes. But this data won’t feed into the NHS app or be used as part of an NHS certificate.

I have no idea of what the US documentation is or what it looks like but I doubt it could be used as a valid UK record.

I'd consult someone there.

@CaramelWaferAndTea

Have AZ x2 - can you not have the second one before you go as you are week 8?

The main reason is that you will be unable to get your Nhs record or any other vaccine passport to show what you had if you don’t. If you want to have the benefits of free travel etc that that will bring, you will need to have both vaccines in the uk - which means two AZ.

That might not apply to returning citizens and dual/nationals, who have the right of repatriation providing they comply with any quarantine restrictions that might be in place.

@Frazzled2207

And *@CaramelWaferAndTea* makes a good point that you might not be able to get your nhs app to show you’re fully vaxxed unless you had two doses here. Not an issue right now but could be.

Also be aware that this app is only for England, Wales and Scotland have no such system and yet, they, too, are permitted to travel. But again, it's a moot point as the OP is a dual national and is permitted repatriation to the US.

That’s not what I was thinking, it might be necessary at some point to show your vaccine status via the nhs app to go to concerts, football matches etc in this country and travel to the EU. If she has two different vaccines in two different countries, that’s unlikely to satisfy the app.

Yes, I agree that split vaccines could be problematic. She'll need evidence from the US of second vaccine and try to get the GP to update it, and/or to get the US to use her NHS first vaccine proof to create her US vaccine status confirmation. I'm not sure if either country have a system for that or not yet.

@MRex

Yes, I agree that split vaccines could be problematic. She'll need evidence from the US of second vaccine and try to get the GP to update it, and/or to get the US to use her NHS first vaccine proof to create her US vaccine status confirmation. I'm not sure if either country have a system for that or not yet.

People have vaccines abroad all the time and they are updated on the NHS system. My son had several that are not on the schedule here as he was attending activities for which they were required in that country and we put in the report to our GP here and it was updated no problem.

She's not going to the Sudan.

@Frazzled2207

That’s not what I was thinking, it might be necessary at some point to show your vaccine status via the nhs app to go to concerts, football matches etc in this country and travel to the EU. If she has two different vaccines in two different countries, that’s unlikely to satisfy the app.

Oh, dear, what are people from Wales, Scotland and NI going to do!? MN is so England-centric.

@osbertthesyrianhamster - the vaccine confirmation doesn't even include split doses of different vaccines from the trials yet, there's a note. The GP might add it on the immunisation record but I think you're comparing apples with oranges expecting that to feed through magically to the vaccine passport.

[quote MRex]@osbertthesyrianhamster - the vaccine confirmation doesn't even include split doses of different vaccines from the trials yet, there's a note. The GP might add it on the immunisation record but I think you're comparing apples with oranges expecting that to feed through magically to the vaccine passport.[/quote]
So what? So she gets re-vaxed here or given the AZ when she gets back. People on MN really like to clutch pearls and doom monger about travel abroad. Chances are it will be no big deal at all. She doesn't need an app to travel back to the UK or to re-enter the UK if she is a British national, right of repatriation is a thing, but will need to test and quarantine within the law.

Again, Scotland and Wales and NI have no such system now, so why scare and doom monger about vaccine passports now?

Bloody ridiculous.

Getting the Az when she gets back isn’t necessarily a good idea if she had Pfizer or similar when she was away.
There are a thousand reasons why she might need to prove her vaccine status in the future and if she doesn’t have two Via her nhs medical records that could prove to be awkward. Scotland and Wales are also in the process of sorting out similar so it’s not an england only issue! I’m welsh so pay a lot of attention to what happens there!

Scotland does now have vaccine status that you can look up online and download.

www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/after-your-vaccine/get-a-record-of-your-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-status

@Frazzled2207

Getting the Az when she gets back isn’t necessarily a good idea if she had Pfizer or similar when she was away. There are a thousand reasons why she might need to prove her vaccine status in the future and if she doesn’t have two Via her nhs medical records that could prove to be awkward. Scotland and Wales are also in the process of sorting out similar so it’s not an england only issue! I’m welsh so pay a lot of attention to what happens there!

So what? It will in no way prove awkward, she can be entirely re-vaccinated it need be. There are plenty of people who haven't been vaccinated at all. She needs to go. So go. Why on EARTH would anyone let randoms on MN scaremonger them from travel? It can be sorted out easily. Just looking for problems and stumbling blocks. Ridiculous. The AZ has even been approved there, who know, depending on which state, she may be able to have the other AZ there.

Fucking hell, talk about misery merchants!

PM'd you, OP!