Those now registering for vaccination with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine will now only have to wait 21 days between their two doses, instead of the previous 34 days. This measure is in response to evidence that the first dose alone provides only moderate protection from certain variants. Photo Credit: Vlada.cz.
Czech Rep., Jul 15 (BD) – As of Wednesday, July 15th, people who register for vaccination with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine will receive their second dose within an interval of 21 days, instead of the previous 34 days. The interval between the first and the second dose will be automatically reduced for children aged 12 to 15 who do not have their vaccination date yet.
On Sunday, the Health Minister Adam Vojtech announced on Twitter that the interval between vaccination doses would be shortened to 21 days in order to achieve full protection against the coronavirus as soon as possible. This measure is being taken in light of evidence that the first dose alone provides only moderate protection from certain variants, such as the prevalent Delta variant. The change was approved by the Government Council for Health Risks on Monday, and came into force on Wednesday.
Od 15.7. zkrátíme dobu mezi dávkami na 21 dní. Chceme tím urychlit očkování 2. dávkou, aby lidé byli co nejdříve plně chráněni. Navíc při vstupu do služeb a na akce potřebujeme být alespoň 14 dní po 2. dávce. A pak už žádné testy. Ani po návratu z dovči. Další novinky v Čau lidi. https://t.co/k1tIpN4QmN
— Adam Vojtěch (@adamvojtechano) July 11, 2021
The change in the interval applies only to the most frequently administered Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. For other vaccines the interval does not change; the interval between doses of the Moderna vaccine remains from 25 to 35 days, and for AstraZeneca 90 days. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is administered as a single dose.
For those who have already received their first dose or have a date booked to receive the first dose, it is not possible to change the dates, except for children aged 12 to 15, who will be sent an SMS with the option of moving their second dose forward. “The goal is to have the highest possible rate of immunization in this population before the start of the school year,” Vojtech told CTK on Monday.
