The U.S. government is considering using the second recommended dose of COVID-19 vaccines approved to inoculate more people during a first round, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“I still think that, if done correctly, you can do a single dose, book a dose for the second dose, and still get the job done.” Fauci said on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday. “But there’s a lot of discussion about whether or not you want to extend the initial vaccination by getting more people vaccinated in the first round.”
Of the two vaccines approved, both have been shown to be 95% effective. But for this rate of effectiveness, the injection of Pfizer requires a second dose 21 days after the first and that of Modern 28 days after the initial injection.
The federal government is currently withholding some of the vaccines received for the second recommended dose. But the current discussion is to undo that plan, Fauci said.
“One of the problems with doing this is that if you don’t get the second dose on time, you will have a delay period,” he said. “And we know from the clinical trial that the best time is to give it in one day and then for Moderna 28 days later and for Pfizer 21 days later. That’s what the data tells us to do. So , if you want to keep the data, you should do so “.
Fauci seemed uncompromising about his recommendation, and opined, “‘You could debate that in any way.’
Fauci admitted that since only 2.8 million of the 14 million doses received have been injected, the U.S. government has failed in its goal of inoculating 20 million by the end of the year. Still, he expects the pace to pick up in January.
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