Moderna coronavirus vaccine doses can be spaced up to six weeks apart, but pregnant women should avoid vaccine, WHO says

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, known as Sage, recommended that the vaccine be given at an interval of 28 days, but said this could be extended for an additional two weeks in times. exceptional circumstances.

“The main recommendation for the use of this vaccine is that, based on current evidence, we recommend that it be administered in doses of 100 micrograms or 0.5 ml with an interval of 28 days,” Alejandro said. Cravioto, chairman of the panel, during a virtual briefing.

“This interval could be moved to 42 days, but the evidence we have does not go beyond this time,” he said, speaking of Mexico.

Sage also recommended that the Moderna vaccine should not be used in pregnant women, unless they are health workers or have conditions that put them at high risk.

This was only because clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine were needed in pregnant women, WHO director of immunization Kate O’Brien said.

“There is no reason to think there could be a problem during pregnancy, we just recognize that the data is not there at the moment,” she said.

Ms O’Brien added that the WHO “was working with Moderna to go as fast as possible” to get a list of emergency uses, which would allow it to be deployed more quickly.

The Geneva-based health agency has so far given an emergency use list for a single Covid vaccine – the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine -.

On Monday, Moderna said he believes his jab will be effective against new variants that have emerged in the UK and South Africa.

The company said it found no reduction in the antibody response against the variant found in Britain, and against the South African variant, it found a reduced response but still believed its two-dose regimen would provide protection.