The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said that two Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine shots should be administered 21-28 day apart in order to see maximum result. Notably, Pfizer, like most of the vaccines avaialble for emergency use against covid-19 pandemic, follows two-dose regimen.
In a press briefing on Monday, Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), told media persons that covid-19 patients must be given two doses of of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine within a period of 21-28 days.
Pfizer’s vaccine developed with BioNTech is also the World’s first vaccine against novel coronavirus which received emergency use auhtorisation from the World Health Organisation.
“This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said Mariangela Simao, the WHO’s access to medicines program leader while announcing the approval.
While many countries have their own regulatory panels for vaccine approvals, many low income countries depend on WHO for vaccine authorisation.
Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration said that UK’s drug regulator is gambling with public safety and effectiveness of the vaccine by increasing the time frame between the administration of the two shots.
“However, at this time, suggesting changes to the FDA-authorised dosing or schedules of these vaccines is premature and not rooted solidly in the available evidence,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Peter Marks said.
While Moderna’s vaccine has been reported to be effective when the two doses are administered between a gap of 28 days, Pfizer’s shots are suggested to be taken 21 days apart.
Data from clinical trials revealed that the vaccines offered some protection against the virus after the first shots, however, the trials were not designed to note that if only one shot could work against the virus.
Back to Pfizer, it is the most sought after vaccine against the novel coronavirus as it has been granted regulatory approval for emergency use authorisation by most of the countries. Many countries across the world have started inoculating their residents with Pfizer shots with the US alone vaccinating over a million people.
