This was at a time when vaccines were in short supply and preliminary research suggested that widening the gap from the manufacturer-recommended four weeks to 12 increased the immune response.
But in May the guidance was changed to eight weeks as cases associated with the Delta variant continued to rise in the UK.
Prof Susanna Duanchie, of the University of Oxford, who is the joint chief investigator in the study, known as Pitch, said: âThe original recommendation from JCVI was 12 weeks and this was based on a lot of knowledge from other vaccines that often having a longer interval [between doses] gives your immune system a chance to make the highest response.
Eight-weeks between first and second Pfizer vaccine doses the sweet spotâ for fighting Delta variant The decision to put it to eight weeks is really balancing all the wider issues, the pros and cons
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Covid vaccine: Eight-week gap seen as sweet spot for Pfizer jab antibodies
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A longer gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine makes the body s immune system produce more infection-fighting antibodies, UK researchers have found.
Experts say the findings support the UK s decision on extending dosing intervals from the initial recommendation of three weeks.
An eight-week gap seems to be the sweet spot for tackling the Delta variant.
But as the vaccination programme has been rolled out through the age groups - everyone over 18 has now been offered at least their first jab - people have been encouraged to bring their second jab forward and get it after eight weeks.
An eight-week gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is a “sweet spot” when it comes to generating strong immune response while protecting the UK population against the Delta variant of coronavirus, scientists have said.
In a new study, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), researchers have found that when compared to a four-week gap, a 10-week interval between the doses produces higher antibody levels, as well as a higher proportion of a group of infection-fighting cells in the body known as “helper” T cells.
At the start of the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made a decision to recommend a 12-week gap between two doses for the two vaccines that were available at the time: Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca.