Delaying the second dose of COVID vaccine

[Manouche]

« We know that this "prime-boost" approach tends to work BETTER with a longer interval. Once the immune system is primed, the memory cells don't go away; and, for a few months at least, their ability to respond to a booster increases.

So increasing the interval from the relatively short intervals used in the trials - chosen when they did not know that the response to a single dose would be as good, so the booster was given as soon as it was likely to be effective - is likely, from everything else we know about vaccines and immunity, to give a better immune response, not a diminished one. It is perfectly reasonable for experts to advise on this basis. The chances that they will turn out to be wrong are almost non-existent; and if they are right, increasing the interval will not only permit more people to be vaccinated more quickly with a single dose, providing good protection; but it will mean that when they get a second dose they will almost certainly get even better protection than with the shorter interval... » 

peterenglish.blogspot.com/2...

[Paul_1971]

I am heartened to read this response as its clear that he has no affiliation or allegiance with the UK Government, in fact he has been critical of them.

Thanks for posting

[MPort]

As always appreciate these posts.

[dishcell]

Thank you for the post

[Trocken]

Thank you for sharing this article, it's been an interesting read with some very valid points. As someone who works for the NHS, I've had the first vaccine and am angered that the guidance has changed, this wasn't what we signed up to. We had to wait for the vaccine to go through stringent testing, trials and approval and this has been based on giving the second dose 2-3 weeks after the first. I'd like to know where the actual research is to suggest its fine to give the Pfizer vaccine 3 months later, as for the possibility that we may be given the Oxford vaccine as a second dose is unthinkable. We're not part of any clinical trials so no data is being gathered for all the people who are now being vaccinated. It all seems very unethical to me, I fully understand the need to get as many people vaccinated, but this needs to be done in a safe way, not a knee jerk reaction just weeks after we start immunising people. I know a number of NHS colleagues who will now not have the vaccine, I worry that this is going to lead people to loose faith and confidence in the vaccination programme and understandably so.