Seniors need assurance of second dose of covid vaccine

Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters’ comments in the Feb. 2, 2021 KING-TV interview about covid vaccinations in the county were disturbing and disheartening. Dr. Spitters said that “the estimated short-term benefit of a single dose is about 90 percent efficacy” and that “I realize it’s frustrating but I don’t think it’s dangerous what’s going on with these challenges (of getting the second vaccine to people). What could he possibly be basing these assertions on?

The FDA has stated that “Those participants who did not receive two vaccine doses at the four week interval (Moderna) were generally only followed for a short period of time, such that we cannot conclude anything definitive about the depth or duration of protection after a single dose of vaccine.” Also from the FDA “making changes to the interval to the second dose that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence may ultimately be counterproductive to public health.”

Moderna states: Vaccine efficacy in participants 65 years of age and older was 86.4 percent compared to 95.6 percent in participants younger than 65 years of age. (Based on two vaccines, 28 days apart.)

It was people over 65 year of age that Snohomish County provided with first vaccinations without a plan for a second vaccine.

Dr. Spitters is putting the seniors of Snohomish County in harm’s way with both his words and his actions.

Elizabeth Miakinin

Edmonds

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