KJ: Vaccine 85% effective after single dose, could be game changer

PETALING JAYA: New developments regarding the Pfizer vaccine could potentially be a “game changer” for Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination plan, as excitement mounts over the arrival of vaccines today.

A study suggesting that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is 85% effective after a single dose could be a “game changer” for the vaccine rollout in Malaysia, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

“The Special Committee on Covid19 Vaccine Supply Access (JKJAV) will be following this development closely,” the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister tweeted.

“Some countries have extended the interval between two doses to cover more people.

“If the Pfizer vaccine offers good efficacy after just one dose, this could be a game changer in the vaccine rollout,” he wrote on Twitter yesterday, posting an article about the new findings.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday,

found that over 7,000 healthcare workers at the Sheba Medical Centre in Israel had an 85% reduction rate of symptomatic Covid-19 infections 15 to 28 days after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The reduction rate was 75% for overall infections, which included asymptomatic cases, 15 to 28 days after the first dose.

“Data show substantial early reductions in SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic Covid-19 rates following the first vaccine dose.

“Early reductions of Covid-19 rates provide support of delaying the second dose in countries facing vaccine shortages and scarce resources, so as to allow higher population coverage with a single dose,” the researchers said.

Reuters reported that Pfizer, in an emailed statement, said it was looking at real-world data from Israel and other locations to understand the impact of its vaccine against Covid-19 arising from emerging variants.

Canadian researchers have also suggested that the second Pfizer vaccine dose could be delayed – given the high level of protection obtained from the first shot – in order to increase the number of people getting vaccinated.

Khairy also tweeted an article that Pfizer has requested permission from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to store its Covid-19 vaccine for two weeks at temperatures that are more commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators.