HCM City targets reduced six-week interval between AstraZeneca doses

HCM City People's Committee has approved a proposal to reduce the interval between AstraZeneca doses to six weeks.

HCM City People's Committee approved a proposal on September 24 to reduce the interval between AstraZeneca doses to six weeks.

  

HCM City approves a proposal to reduce the interval between AstraZeneca doses to six weeks

In early September, the local Department of Health proposed to shorten the interval from 8-12 weeks to six weeks. It is hoped that shorter intervals would help speed up the vaccination campaign in the country's biggest epicentre. People who have the first dose of AstraZeneca could have the second dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer.

The authorities will announce the plan and explain the effectiveness of the plan to gain public consent before starting the vaccination.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of HCM City Department of Health said, "Scientific evidence and practice showed that in special situations, the interval between AstraZeneca doses could be reduced to six weeks. The interval between two doses of most vaccines are three to four weeks but AstraZeneca has an interval of 8-12 weeks."

He went on to say that they had applied such a method and received good results.

"We had shortened the interval between two doses at HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the results were effective," Nam said.