Many Americans are worried that severe weather will impede the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the country. This may delay their second inoculation that is suppose to be given within a certain time frame as directed by the manufacturer.
According to CNN, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be administered three weeks apart, and for the Moderna shot, the recommended wait period is one month for the booster.
However, the CDC adds, ''if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is unavoidable the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.''
So, if your provider has canceled your upcoming appointment because of wicked winter weather, you still have time to get that second shot, say experts. Results from clinical trials showed that both vaccines offer 95% protection against COVID-19 after both doses and healthcare officials, as well as spokespeople from the pharmaceutical companies, said that two doses are required to ensure efficacy.
However, according to the New York Post, Canadian researchers recently found that single doses of both vaccines are more than 92% effective in preventing COVID-19 illness after two weeks. They posted their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine.
This mirrors data from the Food and Drug Administration, says the Post. A separate study from Israel said that the second shot hikes the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech drug to 94%. However, the Canadian researchers warned that it is not known how long protection lasts after the first dose.
''There may be uncertainty about the duration of protection with a single dose,'' the researchers said.
So, as healthcare providers scramble to secure enough vaccine to honor the second doses of vaccines across the nation, health officials said they would prioritize rescheduling appointments for the second shot, according to CNN.
The Alabama Department of Public Health, for example, issued a news release saying officials ''would assure the opportunity for people to get their second dose over the next two weeks,'' and offered to extend clinic hours.