![]() This is the strategy backed by the most robust research for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.Two shots: one shot, then a booster 3-to-4 weeks later Here are some of the arguments for both sides, based on research and expert commentary: “Recently published real-world data suggests a single dose offers effective protection against severe illness, hospitalization and mortality,” the senators wrote in a letter to the Biden administration on March 1. By comparison, that rate is 9 per 100,000 in Washington state, according to the New York Times. The average number of new cases in England is 8 per 100,000. In contrast to the U.S., the United Kingdom has prioritized more widespread coverage through the delayed second-shot approach, and now more than half of the adult population has received at least one dose. (Kiyomi Taguchi / University of Washington Photo) To gain federal emergency approval for use, the COVID vaccines needed only to be 50% effective. Experts note that the earlier vaccines were tested during a time when the number of cases was lower and variants less prevalent, so the Johnson & Johnson vaccine might actually stack up more favorably to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine than the data suggest. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 66% protective against moderate to severe infections. The double dose of the mRNA vaccines are about 95% effective. The other reported that a partial vaccination using the Pfizer vaccine was 63% effective in preventing infections in a nursing home facility.Ī separate study from Israel not referenced by Duchin found that the Pfizer vaccine reduced COVID infections by 85% some two weeks after administering the first shot. One article suggested more lives could be saved by favoring the roll out of initial doses. Jeff Duchin, who leads Public Health – Seattle & King County, responded to a tweet regarding Corey’s editorial, offering “another perspective.” While Duchin didn’t explicitly take a side, he cited two studies examining the impacts of giving one dose and delaying the booster. ![]() Other vaccines, while not based on mRNA technology, commonly have a six-month delay before a second booster shot.ĭr. The quick schedule for the booster was driven in part by the urgent need to get a vaccine approved for use, the UW associate professor said, versus medical necessity. And it’s unknown how strong of an immune response is needed to stop the infection. Studies show that a single dose had more than 50% efficacy for both mRNA vaccines, and perhaps more, Barnabas said. We can catch up with the second dose,” said Barnabas, who published an opinion piece earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “Everyone should get one dose as quickly as possible and as we have enough supply. Ruanne Barnabas, University of Washington. Ruanne Barnabas, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health, has a different take. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease expert for the U.S., likewise defended the two-dose approach. In Washington, nine out of 10 people are getting the second dose on schedule.Įarlier this month, Dr. For Pfizer that’s three weeks after the first shot, or four weeks after the first shot of the Moderna vaccine. Michele Roberts, acting assistant secretary for the Washington State Department of Health, on Thursday urged residents to get their booster for the two mRNA vaccines according to the original schedule. 1.351, and two cases of the Brazil variant, P.1. In Washington, 146 cases of the UK variant, or B.1.1.7, have been found, along with eight cases of the South Africa variant, B. Lab experiments have shown that both the so-called United Kingdom variant and the South Africa variant of COVID require a more robust immune response to fight the virus. The question of whether to delay a second dose does not apply to the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which does the job with one shot. One Shot or Two? Read why virologist Larry Corey believes it's best to stick with the two-dose vaccine regimen. We force it to go up against people who have been fully immunized with the two-dose vaccine regimen.” makes sense to make the virus face off with our most formidable immune defenses. Corey writes: “…the virus, when it gets inside a host with only partial immunity, has a greater opportunity to linger inside the body and keep replicating until it develops certain evolutionary advantages….
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