MONTREAL -- When it comes to getting a second vaccine, it seems there are several options available to Quebecers.
They can advance the date of their second dose, change the location of their appointment and even change the type of vaccine they receive for their second jab. But that last option has caused a little confusion about mixing vaccines.
On Tuesday, Quebec’s health minister set the record straight: people who have received the Moderna vaccine as their first dose must stick with that brand for their second shot.
The ministry of health has previously said that people who have received the Pfizer dose can either get Pfizer again or switch to Moderna for the second shot since both are mRNA vaccines and "have a similar functioning and composition."
Similarly, people who received AstraZeneca for the first dose have even more options. They can either stick with AstraZeneca for their second dose, or choose one of the mRNA vaccines for round two: Pfizer or Moderna.
It’s not immediately clear if the restrictions for Moderna recipients are related to supply issues, since there will be a delay of Pfizer shipments in the coming days.
On Monday, Quebec received 494,910 Pfizer doses that will be distributed across the province, while another 52,650 doses are still expected this week.
A massive shipment of more than 1.7 million Moderna doses are also expected to be delivered this week, as well as 120,000 shots of AstraZeneca.
As of Tuesday, more than 6 million first doses have been administered in Quebec, covering 80 per cent of the population. Just under 30 per cent of people have received their second dose.
The clarification from Minister Christian Dubé comes after changes to the Clic Santé platform Monday night allowed people to change the type of vaccine and location for their second dose appointment.
