A recent news item published across leading Indian dailies covered the news update from UK stating that the Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine showed in a study it had 76% efficacy against symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, which increased if the second shot is delayed. These findings have come up as a pre-print with The Lancet, ahead of peer-review. However, this analysis is still a work in progress for a wide range of reasons — some of which include lack of data on efficacy among the oldest, whom the British government have given highest priority in its vaccine rollout.
World News Agency Reuters reported that Dr. Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, has said that the data showed the 12-week interval between doses was “the optimal approach to roll out”.The results for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, gathered from trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, showed that immune responses were boosted with a longer interval to the second dose among participants aged 18 to 55 years.
The pre-print has concluded that vaccination programs aimed at vaccinating a large proportion of the population with a single dose, with a second dose given after a 3-month period may be an effective strategy for reducing disease and may be the optimal for rollout of a pandemic vaccine when supplies are limited in the short term.
While the AstraZeneca’s research chief has said 8-12 weeks between doses seems to be the “sweet spot” for efficacy, Pfizer has stated that such an interval has not been seen or checked with the vaccine it has developed with Germany’s BioNTech.
The pre-print has mentioned that the vaccine efficacy after a single standard dose of vaccine from day 22 to day 90 post vaccination was 76%, and that protection did not wane during this initial 3-month period. Similarly, antibody levels were maintained during this time with minimal waning. The paper further stated that the vaccine efficacy was 82.4% with 12 or more weeks to the second dose, compared to 54.9% for those where the booster was given under 6 weeks after the first dose.
Nevertheless, while this news and analysis brings hope for delayed vaccine doses or missed vaccine doses for some, it is still too early to conclude anything in this regard. Currently, the two doses of the vaccine are administered at a gap of 28 days.
Watch this space for more recent updates and progress on this subject.
UIN; 154HP31IP
World News Agency Reuters reported that Dr. Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, has said that the data showed the 12-week interval between doses was “the optimal approach to roll out”.The results for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, gathered from trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, showed that immune responses were boosted with a longer interval to the second dose among participants aged 18 to 55 years.
The pre-print has concluded that vaccination programs aimed at vaccinating a large proportion of the population with a single dose, with a second dose given after a 3-month period may be an effective strategy for reducing disease and may be the optimal for rollout of a pandemic vaccine when supplies are limited in the short term.
While the AstraZeneca’s research chief has said 8-12 weeks between doses seems to be the “sweet spot” for efficacy, Pfizer has stated that such an interval has not been seen or checked with the vaccine it has developed with Germany’s BioNTech.
The pre-print has mentioned that the vaccine efficacy after a single standard dose of vaccine from day 22 to day 90 post vaccination was 76%, and that protection did not wane during this initial 3-month period. Similarly, antibody levels were maintained during this time with minimal waning. The paper further stated that the vaccine efficacy was 82.4% with 12 or more weeks to the second dose, compared to 54.9% for those where the booster was given under 6 weeks after the first dose.
Nevertheless, while this news and analysis brings hope for delayed vaccine doses or missed vaccine doses for some, it is still too early to conclude anything in this regard. Currently, the two doses of the vaccine are administered at a gap of 28 days.
Watch this space for more recent updates and progress on this subject.
UIN; 154HP31IP