AstraZeneca Vaccine’s 12 Weeks Interval Explained
In a tweet, Khairy said that the 12 week interval is in line with recommendations given by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is currently being practiced in the United Kingdom. — Bernama pic
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the intervals between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine is set at 12 weeks.
In a tweet, he said that the 12 week interval is in line with recommendations given by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is currently being practiced in the United Kingdom.
“Dosing interval for the AstraZeneca vaccine in the opt-in programme is set at 12 weeks. This is in line with WHO recommendations and is current practice in the UK,” he said.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s vaccines only requires an interval of 21 days and 28 days respectively. With AstraZeneca’s interval set at 12 weeks, will it reduce its efficacy?
An article in medicalnewstoday.com explained that a 12-week gap for the AstraZeneca vaccine “might” be more effective than shorter intervals.
Study has shown that the 12-week interval was 81% effective, compared with 55% for the 6 week interval. The researchers also found that a single dose of the vaccine was 76% effective 3 to 12 weeks after the shot was administered. And, in line with the interim trail results, the researchers observed that a low dose of the vaccine followed by a normal dose was more effective than two normal doses.
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This has led to the U.K government’s decision to maintain a relatively long gap of up to 12 weeks between doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with hope that more people were given the initial dose right away, leading to fewer deaths and less pressure on the country’s already overwhelmed emergency services.
According to Dr. Merryn Voysey, the lead statistician at the Oxford Vaccine Group and a lead author of the study, “This latest analysis confirms our previous findings of the higher efficacy of a low- then standard-dose regimen.”
“However, with additional data available, we have found that the enhanced efficacy and immunity may be partly driven by the longer interval between doses that was common in this trial group,” she adds.
Dr. Voysey continues: “This further supports the relationship we have found between vaccine interval and efficacy in those receiving two standard doses, which is the preferred regimen because there are more data to support its use and because it is simpler to deliver a vaccine program when the same vaccine is given for both doses.”
Read the full analysis report here: medicalnewstoday.com
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