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home / 世界杯决赛2022

don't delay second covid vaccine dose for seniors: experts

the study is one of the first in the country to assess the immune response to covid-19 vaccines among seniors, according to the covid-19 immunity task force.

by healthing.ca

mar 25 2021
read time 2 minute read
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a new study is recommending the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine not be delayed for the elderly, to avoid putting them further at risk during the pandemic.

the study’s findings once again raise questions about when the second vaccine dose should be administered, an issue debated in quebec as the province delayed the second dose longer than first recommended .

the study was funded by canada’s covid-19 immunity task force and published online wednesday as a preprint article , meaning it has not yet been peer-reviewed.

after analyzing samples from 12 long-term care residents and 18 health-care workers in vancouver, researchers concluded the first dose of the pfizer-biontech vaccine produced a weaker antibody response in the older residents than it did among the workers. the median age among participating residents was 82, compared with 36 for the health-care workers.
“extending the interval between covid-19 vaccine doses may pose a risk to the elderly due to lower vaccine immunogenicity in this group,” the study states. “we recommend that second doses not be delayed in elderly individuals.”
in a statement issued thursday, dr. tim evans, executive director of the task force, said the study is one of the first in the country to assess the immune response to covid-19 vaccines among seniors.
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evans said the study suggests “there may be limits” to how long provinces should wait before administering the second vaccine dose, but said infections causing serious illness after the first dose remain “exceedingly rare.”
“real-world clinical evidence from canada and the u.k. shows that older persons, in long-term care or in the community, are well-protected for many weeks by a single dose.”

in quebec, the provincial government had first decided to delay the second dose for up to 90 days before later pushing the interval to four months .

at the time, the decision ran contrary to the federal government’s position and vaccine makers’ own recommendations.

in early march, however, canada’s national advisory committee on immunization recommended provinces extend the interval between doses to four months in order to quickly inoculate more people .

during a technical briefing last month , the institut national de santé publique du québec (inspq) said the vaccines available in quebec have proved to be roughly 80 per cent effective in preventing the disease after the first dose.

this story will be updated. 
jfeith@postmedia.com 
all our coronavirus-related news can be found at montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus.
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