Delaying the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine increases its effectiveness in seniors

Delaying the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine more than triples its effectiveness in seniors, according to a study by British scientists. The tests were carried out on a formulation of the Pfizer brand.

1. Delaying the second dose more than threefold increases the ability of seniors to produce antibodies
2. The study compared the number of antibodies in those given the second dose after 12 weeks with those given the second dose after 3 weeks.
3. However, the manufacturer of the vaccine advises against the practice of extending the dosing intervals
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

“Our research shows that the ability to produce antibodies in the elderly after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is greatly enhanced if it is given 12 weeks after the first injection,” says Helen Parry of the University of Birmingham.

Pfizer warns

The manufacturer of the preparation, Pfizer, and its commercial partner, BioNTech, commented on the results of clinical trials. Their recommendations suggest that the interval between two consecutive doses should be three weeks. The companies warned that in the event of extended waiting times, they did not guarantee the effective operation of the drug.

It is worth adding that the British authorities decided some time ago to extend the interval between doses of the Pfizer vaccine – from 3 to 12 weeks. The producers of the preparation stipulated then that there was no data that would justify this step.

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175 people surveyed

Parry’s study included 175 people aged 80 to 99 years. The researcher observed a relationship between the time of the second dose of the vaccine and the number of antibodies. They found that the subjects who received the second dose 12 weeks later than expected developed three and a half times more antibodies than the subjects who received the injection on time.

Scientists tone down moods. White blood cells, which are responsible for immunity, include, in addition to antibodies (also called B-lymphocytes), macrophages and T-lymphocytes. In the group of subjects who received the second dose faster, the researchers, in turn, noticed a higher number of T-cells responsible for destroying hostile viruses. Therefore, it is difficult to unequivocally recommend extending the time between successive vaccination doses.

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The UK government’s approach to vaccination is apparently justified and is now paying off with better protection for our oldest inhabitants, comments Gayatri Amirthalingam, an epidemiology adviser to the British government.

The British government decided to delay the second dose of the vaccine for the island’s oldest inhabitants at the end of December 2020.

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