CDC officials are pointing to research showing that a longer interval of time between Moderna or Pfizer's COVID-19 shots can provide more enduring protection against the coronavirus.
NEW YORK — Some people getting Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines should consider waiting up to eight weeks between the first and second doses, instead of the three or four weeks previously recommended, U.S. health officials said. on spacing the shots.
They also say the longer wait may help diminish an already rare vaccination side effect: a form of heart inflammation seen in some young men. Also, the suggestion to wait up to two months doesn’t apply to all. The original, shorter interval is still recommended for people with weakened immune systems; people 65 and older; and anyone who needs fast protection due to risk of severe disease.Early in the pandemic, there was intense pressure to adopt as tight a vaccination schedule as possible. “The virus was spreading. People were dying. We wanted to get the vaccine into their arms as quickly as possible,” Schaffner said.
Some people — mostly adolescent and young adult males — developed a side effect involving inflammation in or around the heart after the second shot. The CDC says that among males ages 18 to 39, the condition has been reported in about 68 per 1 million getting the second Moderna dose and about 47 per 1 million getting the second Pfizer dose.