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(Journalist)
– With vaccination figures in the United States very late, health authorities are exploring a number of possibilities to increase the figures. The first is to halve the dose of the Moderna vaccine in order to expand supplies, a proposal the FDA is expected to consider this week. But as the New York Times reports, another controversial proposal is widely publicized, one that calls for delaying the second shot – the “recall” shot – so more people can get their initial shot. Three vaccines currently in use around the world, those from Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, call for people to receive a second dose about three or four weeks later, according to Hill. But advocates say pushing back that deadline would allow more people to get the first shot and gain at least one protective measure. Not everyone, including Dr Anthony Fauci, agrees.
“I wouldn’t be in favor of that,” he said last week, and added on Sunday that the strategy “goes against the science,” CNBC reports. There isn’t enough data to support the idea that the plan is safe, says Fauci. But in a Washington post According to an editorial, two health officials say it makes sense to delay the second shot. Cases are increasing and stocks are limited, and something must give, write Robert Wachter of the University of California at San Francisco and Ashish Jha of Brown University. Yes, the data is not complete, but what we have is “reassuring”, they write. “In a perfect world, there would be no compromise. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we don’t live in a perfect world.” The UK has taken the approach of delaying the second shot, notes The Hill. About 4 million Americans have been vaccinated, well below the target of over 20 million now. (Read more stories about coronavirus vaccines.)
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