The United States will continue to give two doses of coronavirus vaccines a few weeks apart and will not follow the UK’s decision to postpone the second injection, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Friday.
“I would not be in favor of that,” said Fauci when asked about the UK’s new dosing regimen. “We will continue to do what we are doing”,
So far, coronavirus vaccines approved in the United States require two doses every few weeks.
The British government announced on Wednesday that “the United Kingdom will prioritize the administration of the first dose of the vaccine to those in the highest risk group” and will allow the second dose to be administered up to 12 weeks later.
The United Kingdom has adopted the strategy of giving the first dose to as many people as possible as soon as possible, saying that it offers some protection.
Asked on Thursday by NBC’s Today Show whether the United States should change its approach and adopt the UK plan, Fauci replied, “This is being considered.” He told CNN on Friday that this comment was “misinterpreted”.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that in their clinical trials, Pfizer and Moderna – the manufacturers of the two vaccines approved in the United States – studied the effectiveness of two doses a few weeks apart, not a few months apart separated.
“The fact is that we want to follow what science tells us, and the data we have for both (vaccines) indicates that you give it a prime, followed by a reinforcement in 21 days with Pfizer and 28 days with Moderna. And now, this is how we are going, and that is the decision that is made, ”he said.
“We make decisions based on data. We have no data on how to give a single dose and wait longer than the normal amount of time (to give the second dose). “
When he indicated on the Today Show that following the UK’s example was “under consideration”, Fauci said on Friday that what he meant was that some people – not the US health officials – were talking about it.
“It was a bit of a misinterpretation. I think some – not all – but people misinterpreted it when I said it was being considered as if we were going to change. We are not, ”he said.