The single-dose vaccine policy can be disastrous

Britain has more hospitalizations than the peak of the pandemic in March-April and in the United States, more than 125,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. Both countries have lost control of the spread of the disease.

In the context of this medical emergency, which may cause hospitals to be unable to provide adequate care for patients with heart disease, cancer and deadly diseases far more dangerous than COVID-19, some voices in these countries raised a highly controversial proposal: the suggested three-week interval between the two doses of the vaccine or skipping the second dose directly.

This offer involves great risks. First, this proposal has not been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, which could hinder public access to obtaining the shot.

Virologists and immunologists fear that administering only one vaccine against COVID would provide only partial protection against the pathogen.

According to the results of the official Pfizer trial, one dose of the vaccine only provides 52% protection against the coronavirus for a period of ten to three weeks.

Subsequent examinations have shown that these figures may increase further, but they could not prove it with certainty. Partial public immunity could also reinforce selective evolutionary pressures on the virus that would lead to the emergence of new variants capable of preventing the vaccine.

So why do the British and Americans even entertain the idea of ​​implementing this policy? Because they are in a difficult situation.

One of the key figures in the White House coronavirus working group, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has already said he will not agree with the one-dose policy for the same reasons listed above, even despite the sharp rise in cases in the US.

This proposal poses a major risk to public confidence in the vaccine. People should know that the procedure is not affected by any political considerations or sophisticated manipulation of raw data.

The public should have the maximum possible safety in this vaccine that obtained emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

People need confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine before going for it. It is unacceptable for people who have received the first dose, expecting a second, to hear now that the Ministry of Health (and not Pfizer) is willing to change the policy, contributing only to the feeling of mistrust.

Under no circumstances should Israel find itself in a state of despair like Europe and the United States, whether that means tightening social distancing norms or continuing to inoculate high-risk groups at a dizzying pace.

The government and the Ministry of Health need to show consistency and focus on these big challenges and not play risky games stemming from feelings of emergency and despair abroad.