Doha: Reducing gap between first and second vaccine doses may negatively impact vaccine efficacy, Head of Vaccination at Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said.
“The latest research does not show any negative impact on vaccine efficacy if the gap is slightly extended by 2-3 weeks. However, significant reduction of the number of days between the two doses may result in the vaccine offering lower protection. It is understandable that many people are eager to get their second dose and become fully vaccinated as quickly as possible, but I encourage people to be patient and wait to have the second dose at the optimal time for their own wellbeing and to benefit properly from the vaccine,” Dr Soha Al Bayat, Head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health said.
The clinical research is clear that maximum protection against COVID-19 is achieved when a gap of 21 days, for Pfizer-BioNTech, and 28 days, for Moderna, is maintained between the first and second doses.
