The United States is evaluating the application of two half-doses of M.

With a record 300,000 new cases of coronavirus daily, authorities in United States They analyze the Possibility of halving the dose of Moderna vaccine to speed up the vaccination campaign, according to Moncef Slaoui, responsible for the vaccination program in this North American country.

The decision, Slaoui reported in an interview with CBS television, is being consulted with the pharmaceutical company and with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), given that the vaccine was developed to be administered in two doses separated by a period of between 21 and 28 days.

At first, the specialist explained, the possibility of applying a single dose began to be debated, as it would generate an immune response that could be sufficient to cope with the pandemic, at least initially.

However, Slaoui wondered if this was a good solution given that “there is no data after a dose”. Further, he cautioned against the risk of “leaving people a month, two months, three months or maybe more with incomplete immunity, diminished immunity or even a poor immune response corrected with a second dose.”

The alternative that may be effective, in his opinion and that of other researchers who are following the situation closely, is to apply a half dose. “We know that with the Moderna vaccine, half a dose to people between 18 and 55 years old, that is to say two half doses, would achieve the goal of vaccinating twice as many people with the doses we have, generates an immune response identical to the full dose “, he assured.

“I think it’s a more responsible position based on facts and data to vaccinate more people. Of course, we continue to produce new doses of the vaccine, ”added the specialist.

Vaccination

Over the past three days, 1.5 million doses have been administered, out of a total of 17.5 million sent to date. “We are optimistic about an increase in the numbers after the holidays, and we are ready to do what is asked of us,” said the specialist.

Like Slaoui, the chief epidemiologist of the United States, Anthony Fauci, also admitted this Sunday that there had been delays in the vaccination program, but assured that it will be accelerated.

One of the main problems recorded in the distribution of vaccines, according to Slaoui, is the lack of information and communication on the part of the states. Faithful to the arguments of President Donald Trump, who criticized states for slow vaccinations, Slaoui asked regional authorities to notify the federal government when more doses are needed.

For his part, he assured that the new variants of the coronavirus “will be under control” with this vaccine. “Fortunately, they are not more deadly for the population. They are more contagious, so the increase in cases will increase, ”he warned.

The United States confirmed 300,000 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic, which has killed more than 350,000.

According to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4.2 million people had received the vaccine in the United States on Saturday, despite authorities saying that by the end of December they would be vaccinated. and 20 million people. This means that only 20% of the estimated 20 million citizens have been vaccinated.

The case of the United Kingdom

Another region that is planning changes in the administration of doses of the coronavirus vaccine is the United Kingdom. With more than 50,000 new infections per day for nearly a week and the hospital’s capacity at full capacity, the government has reformulated the inoculation rules for the two approved vaccines, Pfizer and Oxford AstraZeneca.

At the end of the year, the government advisory committee decided that the two doses of vaccine will be administered with an interval of 12 weeks, instead of the three weeks previously announced for “public health reasons” to ensure that the first dose, the one with the most immunological impact, covers the as many people as possible in the shortest possible time.

In another clear sign of the urgency to move forward with the vaccination program and counter the devastating effect of the new ‘British’ strain of the virus, the government has approved a new protocol which authorizes the combination of the two vaccines in the event that the second dose of the same product cannot be administered for lack of production of one or the other.