Delayed 2nd dose

[Marauder2003]

WSJ says Biden plans to release all available shots for first doses. If the treatment is 2 shots 3-4 weeks apart is that not medically ill advised? Like skipping a rabies shot?

[dreyna14]

I was wondering the same thing. This could reduce effectiveness and severely shorten supply by making three or more applications required.

[bigmike82]

I read that other countries are using that tactic. The thinking is that it's better to have 100 million people with 60% immunity than 50 million with 95%. And maybe the illness is less deadly in those with only one dose?

[yoteassasin]

I read that other countries are using that tactic. The thinking is that it's better to have 100 million people with 60% immunity than 50 million with 95%. And maybe the illness is less deadly in those with only one dose?

Hahaha

[Garand Hunter]

You do KNOW that biden IS clueless ?

Psalm 1

[CessnaDriver]

That potato isn't deciding anything, it's all done for him.

[freespool]

I read that other countries are using that tactic. The thinking is that it's better to have 100 million people with 60% immunity than 50 million with 95%. And maybe the illness is less deadly in those with only one dose?

Both those expectations seem reasonably grounded in vaccinology, but the two main vaccines are of a type never before tried. I've seen vaccination data where the longer the interval between 1st and 2nd shots the better the response. Given how mild the disease is for most people, having at least some priming from the first shot might well produce an even more resistant population. Some pre-existing resistance in some people is also one theory about why the virus seems to wholly or mostly pass many people by.

[Den60]

He's got to make it look that he is doing something. I believe Fauci has said that he opposes such a move.

[SAN compnerd]

In the words of Barack, 'Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f things up".

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Getting my second dose tomorrow.

[Notpc]

Funny, I also read that they can cut the dose in half, and it will be just as effective. Sounds about right, it's just about $$$ and control.

[FatCity67]

What does the science say?🤨

I'm not a proponent of everyone needs a vaccine either.

[as_rocketman]

There is a decent summary of the estimated impact here. We have some small amount of trial data on Moderna and Pfizer vaccines where only one dose was delivered, as some trial participants could not or did not get the second shot. Those data suggest efficacy is still pretty good, but not as good, and we don't see evidence for it doing any harm. But it is a small dataset.

There are also some game theory papers suggesting that, at the macro level, single doses at lower protectivity have a greater impact than insisting on fixed double-dose schedules.

Personally I am wholly unsupportive of the attempts to game the recommended dosage. This treats a symptom, not the problem -- if we are having problems distributing double doses, we'll likely have the same problems with individual doses. Or perhaps worse, as now we'll have to track more patients.

From an individual perspective, you are better off getting two doses instead of one. You will likely have a better immune response, and you will be following the optimized recommendation from the best trial evidence we have.

From the perspective of the vaccine manufacturers, obviously they want to make and sell more. I think we have common ground here. I personally plan to wait until I can be assured the option to do it right.

Even if monkeying with the dosage does have a theoretical societal benefit, the unquantified assumptions in those studies are pretty important. For one thing, we have problems enough getting people to vaccinate as it is. If we start sending the signal that we're just winging it when it comes to dosage, I don't expect confidence to improve.

[Notpc]

Members of congress started getting the shots around Dec 23. Several are now Covid positive after the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol. I imagine they got the full dose of saline solution.

[as_rocketman]

Members of congress started getting the shots around Dec 23. Several are now Covid positive after the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol. I imagine they got the full dose of saline solution.

Lots of possible reasons for that. Tests could be false positives. Protectivity doesn't happen immediately, and the vaccine is not thought to provide sterilizing immunity -- meaning if you get an effective dose, you can still contract the virus, it just won't result in any noticeable symptoms. Even a very low level may be enough to trigger a positive test result. Furthermore, depending on what kind of test we are talking about, the vaccine may trigger a false positive. Don't have enough information to guess which is most likely.