Two positive developments this week could extend access to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a time when countries around the world are trying to boost vaccines.
A study in Israel showed that the vaccine is strongly effective after first glance, in response to what another study has shown for the AstraZeneca vaccine and raises the possibility that regulators in some countries may authorize delaying the second dose instead of taking both on the tight schedule of three weeks apart as proven in clinical trials.
While regulators in the United States have swiftly adhered to the requirement for people to receive two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine three weeks apart, the British government has decided to prioritize the provision of as many people for an initial dose. , allowing a delay of up to 12 weeks before the second dose. The Israeli study could support arguments for repeating that approach in other countries.
Published in the Lancet on Thursday and drawing from a group of 9,100 Israeli health care workers, the study showed that the Pfizer vaccine was 85% effective 15 to 28 days after receiving the first dose. Pfizer and BioNTech clinical trials at a late stage, which enrolled 44,000 people, showed that the vaccine was 95% effective if two doses were given three weeks apart.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and adviser to President Joe Biden, said at a White House press conference on pandemic Friday that the results of the study are not important enough to change U.S. recommendations.
He pointed out that the people in the study were on the younger and healthier side and the researchers could not say how long the protection from one picture of the vaccine would last. He also said it was possible that a dose lower than the optimal level of the virus might not kill, allowing theoretically to spread faster in the population.
“We want to keep the public confused. The FDA recommendation is two doses, just as it always has been, ”said White House virus adviser Andy Slavitt during the meeting.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Friday that their vaccine can be stored at normal freezer temperatures for up to two weeks, possibly expanding the number of smaller pharmacies and doctors’ offices that could administer the vaccine. past, which must now be stored at ultracold temperature.
In a statement, the companies said they had submitted the new temperature data to the Food and Drug Administration, which had to sign a guide for suppliers that would allow them to store the vaccines at the new temperature.
The circulation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been complicated by the requirement to store it in freezers that keep the vaccines between minus 112 and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The vaccines are delivered in a special container that can be used as temporary storage for up to 30 days, if refilled with dry ice every five days. The vaccine can be cooled for up to five days in a regular refrigerant, if it is not yet diluted for use in patients.
A vaccine similar to Moderna, by contrast, can be stored in conventional freezers and then in a refrigerator for up to 30 days, allowing it to be used more easily at smaller vaccine sites.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that about 41 million people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including about 16.2 million people who received the full vaccine.
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