Middlesex-London Health Unit officials say they've had a very small number of Londoners refuse the idea of mixing vaccine doses, and they're hoping it stays that way throughout the vaccine rollout.
At a virtual media briefing on Monday, Middlesex-London Health Unit officials explained that due to a delay in Pfizer shipments and a large quantity of Moderna vaccines coming to the region, the brands could be mixed for some clients.
"We're seeing a bit of (people declining Moderna doses), but really not seeing a lot of people who are upset or declining Moderna in the place of Pfizer," said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie. "Pfizer and Moderna are very easily interchanged, we really encourage people to seek the first mRNA vaccine they can in order to get their second dose."
"So far, people declining one mRNA vaccine to wait for another, hasn't been a factor," he added. "If we started to see this in any significant scale, it would impact the vaccine rollout and it would impact the length of the pandemic."
On Sunday, the Health Unit issued a public service announcement saying that only the Moderna vaccine would be provided at mass vaccination clinics for anyone 18 or older. Pfizer doses would be used for those between the ages of 12 and 17.
“Regardless of which vaccine you received for your first dose, Moderna is an excellent vaccine for your second dose,” Mackie said in the release, “Pfizer and Moderna are essentially different brands of the same vaccine, and you will have the same protection against COVID-19 regardless of what you get for your first or second dose.”
To book a vaccination appointment, head to covidvaccinelm.ca.
The Health Unit reported only three new cases on COVID-19 on Monday.