The amount of time between COVID-19 vaccine doses could affect how long the shots' protection lasts, experts told MedPage Today Aug. 18.
Peter Hotez, MD, vaccine expert and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the decision to wait just three to four weeks between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines sacrifices the length and durability of the shots' protection, spurring the need for booster doses.
In an Aug. 16 interview with CNN, Dr. Hotez noted that the decision was made as the U.S. was averaging 3,000 COVID-19 deaths a day and the need to get Americans fully vaccinated was urgent.
John Moore, PhD, a microbiology and immunology professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, agreed with Dr. Hotez. He said longer intervals between vaccine doses could lead to antibodies that improve in quality as they decrease in number.
"We may not need annual boosters," Dr. Hotez told MedPage. "This could be the third and done."