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HomeNews"Longer intervals are preferred,": BCCDC Respiratory Pathogens lead on second dose deferral

“Longer intervals are preferred,”: BCCDC Respiratory Pathogens lead on second dose deferral

The Influenza and Respiratory Pathogens lead at the BC Centre for Disease Control supports the Ministry of Health’s decision to extend the interval between the first and second doses of all COVID-19 vaccines to four months.

A recent study led by Dr. Danuta Skowronski showed the first vaccine dose of the Moderna or Pfizer treatments reduced the risk for long-term care residents and workers by 80% within two to three weeks of receiving the vaccine.

“I think this recommendation related to the second dose deferral should be embraced as a wonderful opportunity for us to ensure that Canadians and British Columbians are vaccinated and protected much sooner.”

“Longer intervals between the first and the second dose don’t comprise the boost response and quite often with other vaccines associated with ultimately higher antibody levels and therefore longer and more robust durable protection. The only reason we would go with a shorter interval instead of a longer one is if you don’t get good protection on the first dose.”

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Skowronski added once good protection is established it doesn’t disappear.

“It doesn’t fall off of a cliff or nosedive to nothing. In fact, the typical pattern of the waning of vaccine protection is gradually over an extended period of time and that means we have time to revaluate the optimal scheduling of the second dose.”

“Longer intervals between the first and second dose of vaccine is generally preferred and shorter intervals can sometimes interfere with the immune response and the final antibody levels. That’s what we are more concerned about. Let’s be clear, every time we give a second dose we are depriving someone else of the substantial protection they could have gotten if they had been instead given to them as a first dose. There is always an opportunity cost,” added Skowwronski.

Skowronski said having a greater vaccine supply helps put the province on track to restoring some sort of normalcy between the summer and fall, noting we are in a much better place than we were just a few weeks ago.

“Let’s face it, we have all been under exceptional circumstances over the past year in terms of social disruption, we might even say social deprivation, economic implications of the pandemic control measures and to the extent possible that we can return to some sense of normalcy, we should. This decision (second dose deferral) is representing a careful benefit-risk assessment in terms of what is best for the population.”

According to BCCDC, the province has identified 200 cases involving variants of concern including the B.1.17 and B.1.351 mutations, which originated in the UK and South Africa.

Skowronski noted getting much of the population vaccinated in a timely manner, will only help in keeping the variants at bay.

“If we want to try and mitigate the impacts of those variants is to try and build up immunity in the population as quickly as possible to minimize the opportunities for the virus to spread and change further.”

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