CDC may increase vaccine jab interval to 8 weeks

By Al Mayadeen Net
Source: Agencies
6 Feb 2022 17:52

Protecting young citizens from increased risks of heart inflammation, the CDC may increase the interval between jabs from 3 weeks to 8 weeks.

Shorter jab intervals could pose a risk to young citizens.

On Friday, US health officials said they are considering prolonging the interval taken between the first COVID-19 jab and the next. In order to lower the risk of heart inflammation and boost vaccine effectiveness, it was recommended that the interval increase from 3 weeks to 8 weeks.

Sara Oliver, a doctor and epidemic intelligence service officer at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed that the recommendation is intended for Moderna and Pfizer as per a meeting between the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is an arm of CDC advisors.

The recommended time between Pfizer jabs is three weeks, whereas Moderna is four.

According to the doctor, the motive behind this extension is that apparently, prolongment reduces the risk of myocarditis and that the risk of heart inflammation has been shown to decrease when the vaccines were administered 8 weeks apart.

Myocarditis, quite common among young men, is a rare side effect experienced by mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna.

Furthermore, Oliver also contended that an extended interval may increase vaccine efficacy.

However, there may be some populations in which the shorter gap is favorable, according to the doctor. This works particularly where populations benefit from earlier protection against the virus, outweighing the risks of myocarditis.

There are over 212 million citizens in the US that are fully vaccinated, constituting 63.9% of the population. Such a move by the CDC may be considered late. However, according to Oliver, there are 33 million unvaccinated people between the ages of 12 and 39 who may hold risks of myocarditis if they were to take the shots.

US COVID-19 death toll exceeds 900,000

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States hit 900,000 on Friday, as the Biden administration fails to abide by its promise to contain the pandemic.

Only a month and a half ago, the death toll had reached 800,000 people.

Although new cases linked to the Omicron variant are decreasing, daily deaths continue to rise, with an average of 2,400 now, according to government figures.

Friday’s milestone comes more than 13 months into a vaccination campaign marred by misinformation and political and legal dispute.