I rather think the correct administration of medication lies with the trained staff administering it, just like any other drug or medication given by a trained professional. Yes, there's a safety net in this case, the matter is simple enough to understand by the patient and a right thinking individual can raise a concern, but that depends on how clear the staff were about the to-be injected serum for the recipient.
(I'm agreeing with you,
@dodgy.) A patient in the very capable hands of the men and women of the NHS (and fellow travellers, many volunteers - thanks) will mostly tend to compliance. Relying on the individual at the point of vaccination (as in 'little prick'):
1) to comprehend (not just hear) the name of the vaccine waiting in its syringe,
2) recognise the vaccine is not the one they had first time round,
3) to know/remember 'anything', even the make of vaccine they received first time,
4) and to have the chutzpah/bottle/nerve to speak out /query in an obsequious vaccination centre (large or small) environment where efficiency (ie throughput) is the pervasive air
- is a weak control measure. The system does not rely on this. I have no doubt that CycleChatters are outliers in the spectrum I've implied.
There is an
excellent NHS national protocol and the gatekeeper(s) for joining the queue must be medical professionals (many others are not).
As I tried to imply, the chances of getting this right all but 1 in 13 million vaccinations is vanishly small (and
@Craig the cyclist has confirmed that - I would be surprised if the figure is less than 100). Added to that yet mitigating the risk, the hazard of an individual receiving a different make of vaccine for their second dose is low - there is no evidence that (safety/efficacy) is either better or worse.
The
direction (from FAQs) remains that:
Q: Can different vaccines be used for first and second doses?
A: The
Green Book states that the same vaccine used for the first dose must be used for the second, except in very exceptional circumstances.
Q: Should we still give people who are under 30 their second dose of AstraZeneca?
A: As per JCVI advice for all those in cohorts 1-9 who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca and are due to receive their second dose, appointments should continue unless AstraZeneca is contraindicated.
A: (GB) Individuals who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should complete the course with the same vaccine, with the exception of those who experience an episode of thrombosis combined with thrombocytopaenia (see contraindications and precautions).
