People will probably have to wait longer for the administration of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) needs to do things right, and in that regard, the delay might be necessary so that all the priority groups are considered. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a letter expressing the opinions of two Canada-based researchers who saw high chances of the administration delay.
Efficacy levels
Gaston De Serres and Danuta Skowronski have been checking out Pfizer’s various documents to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The vaccine has a 92.6% efficacy, and that is according to the two officials. They have been checking out the other aspects in Pfizer’s analysis of the vaccine, and everything points out the high chances of administration delay. Gaston De Serres and Danuta Skowronski support the move, outlining that users’ wellbeing comes first in any case scenario.
Moderna Inc is one of the companies that led the way towards the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Reports showed the company’s mRNA-1273(the first dose) as having an efficacy of 92.1%. The above figure is quite similar to Pfizer’s findings.
The health authorities have the last word when it comes to the evaluation of alternative dosing regimens. The company says that it hasn’t done anything since it is a decision that lies squarely in the health authorities’ hands.
Countries take different stands.
Many countries worldwide continue struggling with low supplies, and they have been trying to figure out the best way forward. Most of them have been considering settling for some particular dosing volumes or patterns differing from what came out from the clinical trial tests.
Such countries have different perspectives when it gets to the way they regard the current approaches. Most of them strongly believe that the pandemic is a matter of great urgency and needs to move with speed. Another group shows distaste for most of the data-driven approaches and advocates for things to be done differently.
Skowronski and De Serres have sent out a word of caution, outlining that uncertainties continue to surround the whole thing about protection duration.