Postponing a second dose of Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccines as the UK has done could save lives, according to a US study that suggests other countries struggling to immunize the population may adopt the strategy.
Second doses of the vaccine are given within three to four weeks after the first dose. The UK chose a 12-week delay between doses in an effort to ensure that as many people as possible get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Immunological tests have shown high single-dose protection - up to about 80% with both Pfizer and Moderna, both of which are similarly produced vaccines.
There is also evidence from the UK immunization program that people who have taken a single dose of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are less likely to become infected with Covid.
The American study, by scientists at the Mayo Clinic models the effect of delaying second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in populations where vaccine spread is slow due to global shortages.
Dr. Peter English, a retired consultant in communicable disease control, said the study demonstrated that delaying a second dose worldwide would control the disease faster and prevent other variants from appearing.
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Burimi: Mayo Clinic, Guardian
