In view of the shortage of vaccines and delays in deliveries by some pharmaceutical companies, the Government is studying the possibility of delaying the use of two doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 in time.
The goal is to cover a larger percentage of the population with at least some immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
In an interview with RTP3, the Secretary of State for Health, António Lacerda Sales, admitted that the possibility is on the table, but that the decision has not yet been taken.
“They are weighing this matter, because between the removal that allows more people to be vaccinated with the first dose, knowing that it can produce an effectiveness between 60 and 70%, therefore it already provides some protection, namely to the most vulnerable strata, or having more people with the two doses vaccinated, is a cost-benefit ratio that has to be carefully considered “, said the minister.
“We are considering this matter well and then making the best decision, depending on the needs,” he added.
Several studies show that taking a single dose is sufficient to increase the production of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, responsible for COVID-19, by 60% to 70%.
A study released last week in Israel, based on the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, showed that just one inoculation was enough to get the immune system to produce 85% of antibodies in just two to four weeks in healthcare professionals.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused at least 2,466,453 deaths worldwide, resulting from more than 111 million cases of infection, according to a report made by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal, 16,023 people died from 798,074 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health.
The disease is transmitted by a new coronavirus detected in late December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in central China.
Video – Mask protection levels against COVID-19
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