As the Ministry of Health (MoH) moves to extend the duration between the two doses of the anti-coronavirus vaccines approved in Kuwait, many countries are taking similar steps, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France and Denmark extending the interval between the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 6 weeks, while in the UK it may be up to 12 weeks, Al Rai daily reported.
The Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Committee for the Corona Pandemic at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah stressed the importance of “regulating vaccination doses to increase the pace of community immunization”.
While citizens await notification for their appointment for the second Oxford vaccine dose which was given to the public in Kuwait at the beginning of February, Al-Jarallah said, “Those who have received one dose of the Oxford vaccine will receive a notification for when to receive the second dose as scheduled.”
He mentioned that “there is a shortage in the global vaccine supply, and the state is endeavoring to secure effective vaccines for all, including groups that may be included in the future such as those under 16 years old and booster doses if needed.”
Internationally, British health experts urged for a reconsideration and a reduction of the interval between the two Pfizer vaccine doses to 6 weeks instead of 12, while the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believed that the interval between receiving the first and second doses of vaccines can be increased to 6 weeks, for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Spain announced it is extending the time interval between the first and second doses of the Oxford – AstraZeneca vaccine to 16 weeks for people under 60 years of age. Sri Lanka took a similar decision as well.
The chief scientist of the World Health Organization, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, stressed the need for the public not to miss the second dose, but she said that there is no problem with delaying the second does, as it is important to get the second dose if the vaccine requires two doses.
The scientists who developed the AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine confirmed that the vaccine is more effective if there is an interval of at least 12 weeks between the two doses, but they did not specify a maximum period for receiving the second dose.
The time between the two doses
France – 6 weeks for Pfizer vaccine
Saudi Arabia – 6 weeks for Pfizer vaccine
Denmark – 6 weeks for Pfizer vaccine
Turkey – between 6 and 8 weeks for Pfizer vaccine
Britain – 12 weeks for Pfizer vaccine
Spain – 16 weeks for Pfizer and Oxford vaccines
Canada – 16 weeks for Oxford, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
Sri Lanka – 16 weeks for Oxford Vaccine
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