Credit: Minnesota
Vaccination of as many Minnesota people as possible can be vaccinated as soon as possible has been prevented by a limited amount of doses from the federal government, which is why some medical experts recommend delaying the second dose of vaccine.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, is among experts who believe that delaying the second dose would help get more vulnerable populations vaccinated in a timely manner.
There are three approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca – and all require two doses to get the full effectiveness of the vaccine. A fourth, from Johnson & Johnson, requires a single dose, but has not yet been approved.
However, Osterholm says the first dose provides enough short-term protection to justify delaying the second dose and using it to provide a first dose to more people in their 65s and Minnesota.
“I think the data will support the fact that this is actually a very effective way to go,” Osterholm told the Minnesota House Health and Finance Committee.
Osterholm said the first dose offers “outstanding protection” that can improve even over time. He noted that a recent study involving the AstraZeneca vaccine showed that a single dose provided the same level of protection in the first 90 days, in addition to maintaining the level of antibodies for at least 90 days.
“We have every reason to believe that as time goes on, it could become even more efficient,” Osterholm said.
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As of February 2, Minnesota has administered 475,200 people at least one dose of vaccine. Of these, 177,632 were 65 years of age or older.
Osterholm, who is part of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee, said the new options, namely the B.1.1.7 strain first confirmed in the UK, pose a major threat to America in the coming months.
“I think the darkest days of the pandemic must come,” he said.
Osterholm has consistently said he expects the strain to become dominant and wreak havoc in the United States sometime over the next six to 14 weeks, which is why delivering a dose over two doses would give Minnesota’s more vulnerable populations a chance to have a certain level of protection from none if the virus grows again.