A 3-month interval between doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine results in a higher vaccine efficacy than a 6-week interval, a post-hoc exploratory analysis from a phase 3 randomised controlled trial has suggested.

The study, published in The Lancet, has found that the first dose of the vaccine offers 76 per cent protection for up to three months – this could allow for a greater gap between doses and may allow countries to vaccinate a larger proportion of the population more rapidly.

Study lead author Professor Andrew Pollard of the University of Oxford said in an official statement issued by The Lancet, “Where there is a limited supply, policies of initially vaccinating more people with a single dose may provide greater immediate population protection than vaccinating half the number of people with two doses.

(The Indian Express)