Filenews 18 February 2021
Researchers yesterday urged governments to delay the administration of the second dose of Pfizer's vaccine for the new coronavirus, which they say is 92.6% effective after the first dose.
The two researchers explained, in a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), how they came up with their findings by studying documents submitted by Pfizer to the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The findings were similar to the Moderna vaccine, which has an efficacy of 92.1% after the first dose and is based on technology similar to pfizer's, so-called messenger RNA or mRNA.
They pointed out that there may be a degree of uncertainty about the duration of protection provided by one dose, but the administration of the second dose within one month of the first provides "only a small benefit in the short term".
"Given the lack of vaccines, postponing the administration of the second dose is a matter of national security which, if ignored, will certainly result in thousands of admissions of COVID-19 patients to hospitals and deaths this winter in the US," they pointed out in their letter (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2036242).
Pfizer's response
In its response, Pfizer noted that no alternative doses of its vaccine have yet been studied and any decision to administer only one dose is left to the health authorities.
"We at Pfizer believe it is critical that health authorities gather information on alternative dosage schedules to ensure that vaccines offer the maximum possible protection," the company added.
Source: iefimerida.gr
