Lowering gap between the vaccine doses may offer less protection, says official

Dr. Soha Al Bayat

The head of Vaccination at Ministry of Public Health Dr. Soha Al Bayat stated that lowering gap between the first and second vaccine doses may negatively impact vaccine efficacy by offering less protection against Covid-19. 

Dr Al Bayat said that, “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.”

She further added: “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.”

The clinical research shows evident result that maximum protection against COVID-19 is obtained when a gap of 21 days or three weeks, for Pfizer-BioNTech, and 28 days, for Moderna, is maintained between both the vaccination doses.