WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – Experts told a CDC advisory group on Friday that a larger interval between the first 2 doses of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccinations could boost the vaccine’s efficacy and potentially lower the danger of myocarditis, a rare kind of heart inflammation.
According to NBC NEWS, experts of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mainly endorsed stretching the prescribed time between the first 2 doses of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to eight weeks.
Although there is no vote on formally extending the injections’ schedule, Dr. Grace Lee, the committee’s chairwoman, said the committee would look at incorporating the remarks into basic guidelines for the agency.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s initial two doses are presently given 3 weeks apart, whereas the Moderna vaccine’s first two doses are given 4 weeks apart.
According to Dr. Sara Oliver, an epidemic intelligence service officer for the CDC, extending the gap to 8 weeks will likely affect around 33 million unvaccinated Americans between the ages of 12 and 39. Vaccination percentages in this age range are lower than those in the 40+ age group.
In a briefing to the committee, Dr. Nicola Klein, a vaccine researcher at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, said that both Moderna’s and Pfizer’s Covid vaccines have been related to a slightly increased risk of myocarditis, particularly in males between the age groups of 18 and 29, however, the condition appears to be more common among those who received Moderna.
One potential flaw with the technique, according to Dr. Kevin Ault, a professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center who also serves on the group that made the suggestion: it could leave individuals vulnerable to infection between their first and second vaccine doses.
The committee unanimously opted to endorse the Moderna vaccine at its meeting on Friday. After the vaccine’s full approval by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week, the vote was a symbolic sign-off.
Later in the afternoon, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the committee’s proposal, urging people to be immunized if they haven’t yet.
Last August, the FDA gave full approval to Pfizer’s vaccine.
