The FDA sidelined Operation Warp Speed's idea to halve doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to expedite the vaccine rollout process, saying there is not enough data available to support this measure.
In a Jan. 4 statement, the FDA said it is following discussions and news reports suggesting new ways to accelerate the vaccine rollout process, such as skipping the second dose, mixing and matching vaccines and administering half-doses. The agency recognized these suggestions as "reasonable questions to consider" but said they were "premature and not rooted solidly in the available evidence."
"Without appropriate data supporting such changes in vaccine administration, we run a significant risk of placing public health at risk, undermining the historic vaccination efforts to protect the population from COVID-19," the FDA wrote. "The available data continue to support the use of two specified doses of each authorized vaccine at specified intervals."