As the pandemic drags on, experts are exploring ways to increase the still-limited stock of vaccines to protect as many people as possible. One idea that resurfaced this week involves allowing more time between the first and the second dose of the two-dose vaccines. This time, however, there is some additional data that suggests it might work.
The idea is as follows: two leading vaccines, from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, require two doses. But his first data showed quite significant protection after the first dose. This made people think – is it worth giving partial protection to more people with just one dose? Or should they stick to the schedule and vaccinate fewer people altogether?
In December, some experts encouraged researchers to run tests to find out if a single dose of a two-dose vaccine would be effective. At the same time, the UK health authorities decided to go ahead without these studies and prioritized the first shots, allowing people to delay their doses.
This week, we got more data showing that a single dose of Pfizer / BioNTech really does a good job of preventing disease. A study in Israel found that a first injection was 85 percent effective in reducing symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in healthcare professionals.
There are some caveats. Here is one of the main ones: most people in the study ended up getting their second dose relatively quickly. This means that researchers can only say that the first dose is effective between 15 and 28 days after the person receives the first injection. How long the protection lasts is still unknown.
That is why some experts are still asking for caution when it comes to changing the schedule between these vaccines. “Until such time as there are good clinical trials showing that a single dose provides an equivalent level of protection, I don’t know whether to abandon our approach or create new policies,” said Jonathan Tempte NBC.
It is complicated and the researchers do not agree. Some, including Anthony Fauci, say that following two doses on time can help keep the United States ahead of dangerous variants of the virus. Others tend to adopt a strategy more similar to that of the United Kingdom.
“I think this [strategy] is something that reasonable people could disagree with, but saying that you should only do something supported by random evidence when there is an emergency would prevent us from wearing masks, social detachment, from doing all the things we know are good public health practices , Marc Marc Lipsitch, a Harvard epidemiologist said CIDRAP News earlier this month. He added: “There is an old saying that we would also not use parachutes or aspirin if we waited for randomized tests.”
Here in the United States, states are trying to speed up doses – and seeking guidance from the federal government. The CDC has said that, in extreme circumstances, providers can stretch the window between their patients’ vaccines from three to four weeks to six. This week, Bloomberg reported that a committee advising the CDC was considering whether or not to recommend changing the schedule in a smaller working group.
This discussion may not reach the entire committee anytime soon. The working group may decide that it needs to see more data or may not arrive at the next COVID-19-related meeting in favor of discussing more pressing issues – including its recommendations for the Johnson and Johnson single dose vaccine. (Another committee meeting is planned for next week, but its focus is on a number of other deadly diseases, including ebola, dengue and rabies.)
Even if the committee no Consider it immediately, the question of when to administer the doses is fascinating, and we will be watching as the vaccine launch speeds up and more data keeps coming.
Here’s what else is going on this week.
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Up to 90 volunteers in the UK to participate in the pioneering COVID-19 infection study
A trial in the UK will deliberately expose volunteers to the virus that causes COVID-19. To begin, he will try to establish the amount of virus needed to cause an infection. The trial was announced last year, but needed to go through ethical and regulatory steps to proceed. (Nicola Davis / The Guardian)
Who died of COVID-19 in the USA?
This is a moving visual dive into the death data in the United States and analyzes the demographic data of people who died from this disease. (Youyou Zhou and Julia Belluz / Vox)
Development
The myth of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ COVID vaccines
With several vaccines being launched, there are inevitable comparisons between them. But these comparisons can be harmful when communicating about vaccines – and getting people to take them. (Helen Branswell / STATE)
COVID-19 vaccines are starting to work in the US
US cases are on the decline. Although this broader decline cannot yet be attributed to the vaccine, there are some places where researchers see vaccines working. (Nicole Wetsman /The Verge)
Why grandparents can’t find vaccines: shortage of niche biotechnological ingredients
Until recently, the ingredients found in mRNA-based vaccines made by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna were only produced in small quantities. But as manufacturing accelerates, producers need to scale up fast. (Christopher Rowland / The Washington Post)
Unprotected African health workers die while rich countries buy COVID-19 vaccines
Some countries and regions are having difficulty obtaining vaccines, creating serious health crises. Wealthier countries, like the United States, have a distinct advantage in the vaccine race and are moving forward – with tragic results elsewhere. (Kai Kupferschmidt / Science)
Perspectives:
… Wes and Zoe’s enthusiasm only diminished when she described the various nasal swabs and blood samples they agreed to (up to four each over six visits). But, excited about the possibility of being able to see their friends safely and, in my son’s case, updating his AirPods, they rolled up their sleeves.
– Journalist Sheila Mulrooney Eldred writes about the experience of her teenagers participating in Moderna’s vaccine trial for The New York Times.
It sounds crazy, right? I’m crazy? I definitely have that psychological battle where I start to doubt everything. Is everything in my head? I’ll tell myself that I need to try harder. I will force myself to get out of bed, but then I get in the shower and the hot water turns my hands purple. My heart rate skyrockets. I get so dizzy that I need to sit down.
– Kaitlin Dennis, who has dealt with symptoms of COVID-19 since March 2020, as reported to Eli Saslow in The Washington Post.
When my father’s health deteriorated, I thought about how MAD the world is now; behind all the well-intentioned gestures to honor frontline workers like him, there is a willingness to risk their lives to keep trade flowing. A desire to destroy and be destroyed by a sense of normalcy.
– Lovely Umayam writes about security and her father’s fight with COVID-19 over The New York Times.
More than numbers
For the more than 110,655,192 people around the world who test positive, may their path to recovery be smooth.
To the family and friends of the 2,450,423 people who died worldwide – 495,469 in the USA – their loved ones will not be forgotten.
Be safe, everyone.