The US will continue to give two doses of coronavirus vaccines with a few weeks apart and will not follow the British decision to delay the second shot, said dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Friday.
“I will not advocate for that,” Fauci said when asked about the UK’s new dosing regime. “We’re going to keep doing what we do,”
So far, the coronavirus vaccines approved in the US require two doses based on a few weeks apart.
The British government announced on Wednesday that ‘the UK prefers to administer the first dose of the vaccine to those at risk’ and that the second dose can be given up to 12 weeks later.
The UK has adopted the strategy of giving the first dose to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, saying it offers some protection.
Asked by NBC’s Today Show on Thursday whether the US should change its approach and adopt the UK’s plan, Fauci replied: “it is being considered.” He told CNN on Friday that this comment was “misinterpreted”.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that Pfizer and Moderna – the manufacturers of the two vaccines approved in the United States – are studying the efficacy of two doses a few weeks apart in their clinical trials. , not a few months. apart.
‘The fact is that we want to stick to what science tells us, and the data we have for both (vaccines) indicates that you’re giving a head start, followed by a boost in 21 days with Pfizer and 28 days with Modern. And at the moment it is the way we are going with it, and it is the decision that is being made, ”he said.
‘We make decisions based on data. We have no data to give a single dose and to wait longer than the normal time (to give the second dose). ‘
When he indicated on the Today Show that the British example was ‘under consideration’, Fauci said on Friday that he meant some people – not US health authorities – were talking about it.
“It was a misinterpretation. I think some – not all – but people misinterpreted when I said that it is considered (as) as if we are going to change. We are not, ”he said.