The second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 Inc vaccination could be delayed to cover all priority groups as the former is highly protective, two Canadian-based researchers said in a letter published in New England Journal of Medicine.
The vaccine had an efficacy of 92.6% after the first dose, said Danuta Skowronski and Gaston De Serres, based on an analysis of the documents the drug dealer submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These findings were similar to the 92.1% initial dose effect reported for the Moderna Inc mRNA-1273 vaccine, according to Wednesday’s letter.
In response, Pfizer said alternative dosing methods of the vaccine had not yet been evaluated and the decision remained with the health authorities.
Some countries, engaging with low supply, are looking at dosing patterns or sizes that differ from how the vaccines have been tested in clinical trials.
There are differences about the merits of such strategies, with some arguing that the pandemic crisis requires flexibility, while others oppose the omission of data-based approaches. because of distance.
Skowronski and De Serres warned there could be uncertainty about the duration of protection with a single dose, but said administration of the second dose a month after the first “yielded little additional benefit in the short term. “
Skowronski works at the British Columbia Disease Control Center, while De Serres is from the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec
In Britain, authorities have said data supported their decision to move to a 12-week dosing schedule forPfizerCOVID vaccine. BothPfizer and partner BioNTech have warned they had no evidence to prove it.
PfizerThe vaccine is authorized to be taken 21 days apart.
The U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency have adhered to the interval confirmed in the trials.
(Reporting by Shubham Kalia and Ann Maria Shibu in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Sriraj Kalluvila)