Capital reduces time between AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses
VGP – The gap between the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is to be cut to four weeks from eight, according to the Ha Noi Department of Health.
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The latest move aims to speed up the vaccination process in a safe and effective way, creating herd immunity as soon as possible, according to the Ha Noi Center for Disease Control that proposed the shortening.
It is also based on guidance from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology about the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. With AstraZeneca, the institute recommends taking the second injection at least four weeks after the first one.
At the end of September, the Ministry of Health had allowed localities to decide to shorten the time between two AstraZeneca shots on their own while adhering to recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the manufacturer. HCMC reduced the gap to six weeks in September.
The second shot should be given about 4-12 weeks after the first one, according to the manufacturer. The WHO recommends a time of 8-12 weeks between two doses.
As of November 14, Ha Noi had administered 11.04 million vaccine doses for more than 6.11 million people, with 4.9 million fully vaccinated.
The Ha Noi CDC has said that about 93 percent of residents 18 years and older have got the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but less than 70 percent of this age group have been fully vaccinated.
About a million people over 50 are waiting for second doses, starting November 15./.
By Kim Loan
