Inside Story

Are some COVID-19 vaccines better than others?

People in France and Germany are shunning Oxford-AstraZeneca shots in favour of the offering developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

More countries are approving different COVID-19 vaccines to try to control the pandemic, and the drugmakers are touting varying levels of protection.

That has led to the belief that some vaccines are better than others.

AstraZeneca vials are sitting unused in France and Germany, and it is reported people are cancelling their appointments in favour of getting a Pfizer shot.

Health experts say people should not pick and choose – they should take whichever vaccine is available.

So who is right?

Presenter: Rob Matheson

Guests:

Samantha Vanderslott – Social science researcher, Oxford Vaccine Group

Jeffrey Lazarus – Head of the Health Systems Research Group, Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Deepshikha Chettri – Member, UNESCO International Bioethics Committee