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Health Minister Ong Ye Kung shared statistics on the relative effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as booster shots in terms of reducing Covid-19 infection risk, and compared the two combinations.

The verdict?

The most effective cocktail appears to be two Pfizer-BioNTech doses, followed by a Moderna shot as booster.

Two mRNA vaccines can be mixed and used

Ong, who is the co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, was citing findings from a recent study by the Ministry of Health (MOH) during a virtual press conference on Nov. 15.

He said the expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination has recommended that the two mRNA vaccines can be used interchangeably.

This means that the first two doses can be Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, and the third booster shot can be either as well.

Here is a summary of the findings:

- Going for a booster shot, regardless Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine: Further reduction in risk of infection by over 60 per cent.

- Moderna booster shot after two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech: Further reduction in infection risk by 72 per cent.

- Pfizer booster shot after two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech: Further reduction in risk of infection by 62 per cent.

- Pfizer booster shot after two doses of Moderna jabs: No large sample sizes available, no meaningful statistics.

What vaccine combination did Ong and Mak take?

Ong and Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak both took the Moderna booster shot after two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

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