Delaying second Covid vaccine doses may save lives – study
May 12, 2021, 11:33 pm
New research suggests that delaying the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine so that more people can receive a first dose could reduce deaths by up to a fifth (Ben Birchall/PA)
Countries may wish to consider following the UK in delaying second Covid vaccinations in a bid to save lives, new research suggests.
Modelling by experts in the US shows that delaying the second dose so that more people can receive a first dose could reduce deaths by up to a fifth.
Published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), one example showed that if a first dose offered 80% protection against Covid, deaths fell to 207 per 100,000 people if the second dose was delayed.