Slipstream
Member
Thanks for the info and the study. The study seems to conclude that for most immunogenicity: Moderna boost +prior AstraZeneca or Pfizer > Novavax boost + prior AstraZeneca > homologous Pfizer boost + prior Pizer > Pfizer + Novavax > homologous AstraZeneca (> symbol meaning non-inferiority to homologous Pfizer + Pfizer control group ).I've had similar but mostly Moderna. I got Covid the last day-ish on a two week road trip with 3 long stops. I got a Moderna Fall booster a week or two before the trip. My resulting case was mild. My spouse showed no signs and tested negative. Reasons to consider Novavax from someone I've learned to trust with unbiased views.
Substack post is having an tech issue but I cut-n-paste some interesting parts from her email.
Is mixing Novavax after an mRNA series better?
There is some evidence that mixing is immunologically better and some evidence that staying with mRNA is better. It’s a bit hard to know which one is “right” given how little evidence we have at this point. (See a breakdown of the similarities and differences here.)
That said, there are two reasons people may want to go with Novavax:
- Hesitant about mRNA biotechnology, regardless of its long history.
- Side effects. In a randomized clinical trial, Novavax had fewer side effects than mRNA vaccines. This is one major reason why I’m going with Novavax this fall for the first time. (The mRNA vaccines kick my butt. Fingers crossed, this is more forgiving for me).
Side effects from varying combinations of Covid-19 vaccines. Figure from the Lancet, with YLE annotations. Original source here.
Although the study also notes "...the T-cell response across all groups was greatest with AstraZeneca/Novavax, which might prove important in terms of durability of protection and protection against new SARS-CoV-2 variants.", the overall cellular response with Novavax was near the lowest of all the combinations.
The study also speculates that because the Moderna vaccine has over 3 times the dosage (100 micrograms) of Pfizer (30 micrograms), this might account for the greatest immune response with Moderna.
But darn, the Moderna boost really hit me hard for a few days.