Quote:
Originally Posted by Work Horse
I don't believe that is correct.
The UK are currently doing the second jab of AZ early at 8 weeks so more people are fully vaccinated. Scott Morrison has asked Sydneysiders to consider doing the same in an attempt to bring their current outbreak under contol.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends 12weeks between AZ doses. The second dose can be taken as early as 4 weeks after the first but reduces effectiveness.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2...oses/100259926 |
Like I said, apparently. I heard the statement regarding the 12 weeks from a Dr doing and interview on the radio because people were calling in questioning the change in gap.
But then I found this:
Quote:
COVID-19: extending the gap between vaccine doses was the right thing to do
June 28, 2021
Increasing the gap between COVID-19 vaccine doses (up to a maximum of 12 weeks) was one of the more controversial decisions made by the UK government during the pandemic. Medical experts came out for and against the plan when it was announced in January 2021. Faced with the new delta variant, experts are once again questioning if it was the right course of action.
By delaying the second dose – which tops up and lengthens the effect of the first – the aim was to bring forward the point at which people could get their initial vaccination, giving them some protection against the virus sooner. This was desirable because in early January, the UK was in a terrible position. Over 1,000 COVID-19 patients were dying each day and over 35,000 were in hospital. Future vaccine supplies were also not guaranteed.
However, delaying the second dose leaves people without the fullest possible protection against COVID-19 for longer, and the newly dominant delta variant appears to be less well managed by a single vaccine dose than previous forms of the virus. Nevertheless, I would argue that the decision to increase the gap between doses was still the right one to make at the time.
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https://theconversation.com/covid-19...g-to-do-163293
Absolutely extending the second dose to 12 weeks is ideal but bringing it forward only resulted in a small reduction in protection.
So, it could be argued that my statement was correct in that the UK was in a bad state and they saw the urgency of giving more people at least one dose was the priority over full vaccination, hence dragging out the second dose to facilitate that.