Credit: State of Minnesota
Vaccinating as many minnesotans as soon as possible is hampered by a limited supply of doses from the federal government, which is why some medical experts recommend delaying the second dose of the vaccine.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, is one of the experts who believe delaying the second dose would help get more of the vulnerable populations vaccinated in a timely manner.
There are three approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca – and they all require two doses to achieve full vaccine effectiveness. A fourth, from Johnson & Johnson, only needs one dose but has not yet been approved.
Nonetheless, Osterholm says the first dose provides enough protection in the short term to delay the second dose and use them to deliver a first dose to a greater proportion of Minnesota’s 65-and-old population.
“I think the data will support that this is actually a very effective way,” Osterholm told the Minnesota House Health Finance and Policy Committee.
Osterholm said the first dose provides “remarkable protection,” which may even improve over time. He noted that a recent study of the AstraZeneca vaccine showed that a single dose provided the same level of protection for the first 90 days, in addition to maintaining the level of antibodies for at least 90 days.
“We have every reason to believe that it can become even more effective over time,” said Osterholm.
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Through Feb. 2, Minnesota has given 475,200 people at least one dose of the vaccine. Of these, 177,632 were people aged 65 or older.
Osterholm, who is a member of the Biden government’s COVID-19 advisory committee, said new variants, namely the B.1.1.7 strain first confirmed in the UK, will be a major threat in the coming months for America.
“I think the darkest days of the pandemic are yet to come,” he said.
Osterholm has consistently said he expects the species to become dominant over the next six to 14 weeks and wreak havoc in the United States. protection versus none if virus rises again.