Pfizer & Moderna Vaccines: It Takes 2

 

Should the finding that one dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine confers 91% protection and following up with a second dose provides 95% (mere additional 4%) protection mean that just one dose is enough?

Jeff Diver

·

just now

retired reference assistant at Cornell University Library

[ Photo by Zdeněk Macháček

on Unsplash

; modified by author ]

Oliver,

Vaccines are not medications, but some of the same good practices apply.

Both drugs and vaccines depend on the proper dosage for their effectiveness.

Just as you (hopefully) read and follow the dosage instructions you are given by your doctor or on the side of your various over-the-counter medications, you should also follow the dosage recommendations of Covid-19 vaccines.

If you do not get the proper amount of vaccine in your system, you will not get the desired protection.

According to the CDC:

“The two authorized and recommended vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in the United States both need two shots to be effective. There is one COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States that uses one shot.”[1]

There is one other wrinkle of which you should be aware if you are getting a multiple-dose vaccine such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. You need to get your dosage at the proper interval. The Immunization Action Organization advises those who administer vaccines as follows:

“Increasing the interval between doses in a 2-dose or 3-dose series will not diminish the effectiveness of the vaccine, but may delay protection against disease. You do not need to start a series over if a delay has occurred. However, you should not decrease the interval for patient scheduling convenience; this could prevent a full antibody response from occurring.”[2]

Work with your doctor to ensure that you get both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and have them administered at the proper interval.

-Jeff

Footnotes

[1] COVID-19 and Your Health

[2] https://www.immunize.org/guide/pdfs/vacc-adults-step5.pdf