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Despite its slow and difficult initial rollout, medical experts are relying on the coronavirus vaccine to help end the global pandemic. This is especially true as highly contagious variant strains of the virus have been reported in the United States, with experts warning that this could create another spike in cases. But a change by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its stance on a vaccine precaution that limits the time between injections could help ensure a smoother rollout. Read on to see what the new guidelines recommend for your vaccination, and to find out more about what you need to know before getting vaccinated, Dr Fauci just issued this warning about the side effects of the COVID vaccine.
As doses of coveted vaccines begin to run out in many regions, health officials are increasingly concerned that accelerating supplies could mean patients will not be able to receive their second life-saving injection. on time, which should take three to four weeks. after the first. But in a statement released to CNN on Jan.23, the FDA updated its guidelines on the time interval between the two doses, saying a slightly longer wait would not compromise the vaccine’s effectiveness.
The agency says it “recognizes that vaccinating as many people as possible across the country will help reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 and should be a priority,” adding that “modest delays in administration of the second dose, if absolutely necessary, should not diminish the protection conferred by the second dose and it is best not to complete the series of 2 doses. “And to learn more about the second shot, Dr Fauci says he had these side effects from his second dose of the vaccine.
The FDA isn’t the only agency changing its guidelines. On January 21, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their clinical considerations on the length of dose spacing, also declaring that some flexibility in the timing of the recall was acceptable. .
“The second dose should be given as close to the recommended interval as possible,” read the guidelines. “However, if it is not possible to meet the recommended interval, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can be scheduled for administration up to six weeks (42 days) after the first dose. “, adding that” there is currently limited data on the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines given beyond this window. “And to learn more about slowing the spread of the coronavirus, check out the one thing that you can stop doing to avoid COVID, doctors say.
The changes come less than a month after the FDA made a strong case against waiting longer than the recommended three weeks between doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or four weeks required between doses of Moderna due to supply. limit.
“We know that some of these discussions about changing the dosing schedule or the dose are based on the belief that changing the dose or the dosage schedule can help deliver more vaccines to the public more quickly,” the agency said in a report. communicated on January 4. “However, making such changes that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence may ultimately be counterproductive to public health.” And for more up to date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Other senior medical experts have supported the decision to allow a longer grace period between doses. This includes Anthony Fauci, MD, the White House’s chief medical adviser, who saw no reason to be concerned about the slight increase in wait times.
“Sometimes it’s a stressful situation where it’s very difficult to be exactly on time,” Fauci told CNN in an interview on Jan. 22. “I don’t see a big problem with that if the situation on the ground means that the stress is such that you can’t precisely do 28 or 21 days.” And if you’re worried about getting sick, this weird symptom might be the only sign you have COVID, study finds.
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