A dad-of-two who got four Covid vaccines from different pharmaceutical brands has revealed why he is determined to have two more from Moderna ‘as soon as he can’.
After receiving his second dose of Pfizer on July 12, media manager Bruno Bouchet read a study that claimed a combination of vaccines provides greater protection from Covid than one on its own.
But when the 35-year-old, from Sydney, went back for two shots of AstraZeneca one month later, he said his main motivation was to ‘statistically eliminate one anti-vaxxer’ who refused to be jabbed.
‘In other words, I felt being immunised twice would bolster the numbers [NSW’s vaccination rate] and erase one anti-vaxxer from the statistics,’ Mr Bouchet told Daily Mail Australia.
Media manager Bruno Bouchet (pictured) has had double doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines – and he’s determined to receive two shots of Moderna too
Mr Bouchet (pictured receiving his first Pfizer shot in June) said he read a study that claimed a combination of vaccines provides greater protection against Covid than one on its own
He said he felt perfectly healthy after all four jabs and did not experience any negative side effects.
Mr Bouchet said he was not questioned about his vaccination record when he went for his AstraZeneca shots, which led him to think that ‘three lots of vaccines would be better than two’
He booked in for a Moderna jab on Saturday, September 25, but a pharmacist who was checking the government’s immunisation database noticed he had already been vaccinated.
‘I played dumb and pretended I had no idea what she was talking about, but I could tell I had been found out,’ Mr Bouchet said.
‘I pretended I was calling my GP to clear everything up, but I ran off to my car to escape the humiliation.’
Mr Bouchet’s vaccination record (pictured) shows he received his first Pfizer jab on June 8 and his second on July 12, before getting his first dose of AstraZeneca on August 25 and his second on September 22
Mr Bouchet posted about his multiple vaccinations on his Instagram story (pictured), and said felt perfectly healthy after all four
Mr Bouchet said he was ‘surprised’ that immunisation histories are now being checked, but is ‘determined’ to get two Moderna jabs ‘over the next few days’ to act as a booster for the Pfizer vaccine he started out with.
Asked how he felt about having four shots while many Australians are still waiting to receive their first, Mr Bouchet said he feels little sympathy towards anyone who has not gotten at least one jab.
‘It’s people who haven’t gotten the jab yet that are selfish, not me,’ he said.
‘There is no excuse to not have at least your first one – there are clinics and bookings available pretty much everywhere and there are no longer vaccine shortages.’
Can mixing vaccines provide better Covid protection – and is it safe?
Mixing Covid vaccines is emerging as a practical way to provide protection to people at a time of unpredictable supply.
Most vaccines against the virus must be given in two doses, but multiple studies now support the idea that mixing the viral vector AstraZeneca and mRNA Pfizer jabs triggers an immune response similar to – or even stronger than – two doses of either vaccine.
Recent studies from Germany and the UK indicate that a combination ‘sometimes outperforms’ two shots of the same vaccine.
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While ‘mix-and-match’ Covid vaccines have been shown to trigger a powerful immune response, scientists still want answers about long-term efficacy and rare side effects.
A study of 206 volunteers conducted in Germany and published in Nature Medicine in July found one shot of AstraZeneca followed by a Pfizer or Moderna jab resulted in a ‘stronger immune response’ than having two doses of AstraZeneca.
The study, in which 55 participants received two doses of AZ’s viral vector vaccine, 64 received two doses of an mRNA vaccine, and 97 received a mix of the two, found the combination produced an equally strong or stronger immune response than two shots of an mRNA vaccine.
Mr Bouchet (pictured) said he is ‘determined’ to get two Moderna jabs ‘over the next few days’ to act as a booster for the Pfizer vaccines he started out with
The German findings are supported by a slew of other studies, including Oxford University’s Com-COV trial which found those who received a mix of AstraZeneca and Pfizer generated a strong immune response against the virus.
However the order was shown to make a difference, with AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer proving more effective than Pfizer followed by AstraZeneca.
Mr Bouchet’s home state of New South Wales is expected to reach its 70 per cent vaccine target on October 6, before hitting 80 per cent on October 15, according to data tracking site Covidlive.
The 70 per cent target will see pubs and restaurants re-open with a four-square-metre rule and allow five visitors to homes.
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