Why you might delay or switch vaccines

Why you might delay or switch vaccines

 

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say second doses of Covid-19 vaccines may be scheduled up to six weeks after initial doses, if necessary.   According to the CDC guidance, the second doses should be administered as close as possible to the recommended interval – three weeks after the first dose for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and four weeks after the first dose for the Moderna vaccine.   On "Fox News Sunday," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky emphasized that it’s not a change in recommendations. “We know that not everyone is going to receive that second dose at 21 days, 28 days, and some people likely will have forgotten which dose they got, which vaccine they got,” she said. “They will come to us and they will say, ‘What do we do now?’ And that is the purpose of that guidance.”   The CDC also updated guidance on using two different vaccines. While the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Covid-19 vaccines are “not interchangeable,” it may be acceptable to get one dose of each in order to complete the two-dose regimen.   CDC says the safety and efficacy of switching vaccines hasn’t been evaluated yet.  The agency said “every effort should be made” to keep track of which vaccine people received to ensure they get the same one for their second dose several weeks later.

 

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say second doses of Covid-19 vaccines may be scheduled up to six weeks after initial doses, if necessary.   According to the CDC guidance, the second doses should be administered as close as possible to the recommended interval – three weeks after the first dose for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and four weeks after the first dose for the Moderna vaccine.   On "Fox News Sunday," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky emphasized that it’s not a change in recommendations. “We know that not everyone is going to receive that second dose at 21 days, 28 days, and some people likely will have forgotten which dose they got, which vaccine they got,” she said. “They will come to us and they will say, ‘What do we do now?’ And that is the purpose of that guidance.”   The CDC also updated guidance on using two different vaccines. While the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Covid-19 vaccines are “not interchangeable,” it may be acceptable to get one dose of each in order to complete the two-dose regimen.   CDC says the safety and efficacy of switching vaccines hasn’t been evaluated yet.  The agency said “every effort should be made” to keep track of which vaccine people received to ensure they get the same one for their second dose several weeks later.