{"id":124910,"date":"2021-03-06T16:16:15","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T20:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=124910"},"modified":"2021-03-06T16:16:15","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T20:16:15","slug":"2nd-doses-of-covid-19-vaccines-can-be-given-up-to-4-months-after-1st-naci-now-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/2nd-doses-of-covid-19-vaccines-can-be-given-up-to-4-months-after-1st-naci-now-says\/","title":{"rendered":"2nd doses of COVID-19 vaccines can be given up to 4 months after 1st, NACI now says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The panel of medical experts advising the Canadian federal government on vaccination now says that the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines can be given up to four months after the first, if Canada wants to maximize the number of people being immunized.<\/p>

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Canada\u2019s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has issued new guidance advising that the window between shots for all three of the currently approved vaccines\u2014Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca\u2014can now be considerably extended, while still being effective.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNACI recommends that in the context of limited COVID-19 vaccine supply, jurisdictions should maximize the number of individuals benefiting from the first dose of vaccine by extending the interval for the second dose of vaccine to four months,\u201d said the advisory\u00a0body in a new statement posted online.<\/a><\/p>

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\u201cExtending the dose interval to four months allows NACI to create opportunities for protection of the entire adult population within a short timeframe. This will not only achieve protection of the adult population, but will also contribute to health equity,\u201d reads the new recommendations.<\/p>

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Based on the expected supply of the two mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, approximately 80 per cent of the eligible population could be offered a COVID-19 vaccine dose by the end of June, if the four-month interval is implemented this month, leaving second doses to begin being administered in July.<\/p>\n

NACI says it\u2019s come to this conclusion after considering evidence from recent scientific studies, despite them not having collected four months of data on vaccine effectiveness.<\/p>

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\u201cThe first two months of real world effectiveness are showing sustained high levels of protection,\u201d said NACI. \u201cExtending the interval between doses was shown to be a good strategy through modelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>

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