Much advice has been given about the ideal break between two Pfizer shots. But the answer is there: it’s best to wait eight weeks between the first and second dose. That is the ‘sweet spot’ according to scientists after new research.
The Oxford University researchers found that higher levels of antibodies were achieved when the second shot was given after 10 weeks instead of after 4 weeks. There were also more T cells, which are also important in the body’s fight against the virus.
Professor Susanna Duanchie of Oxford calls the eight-week interval the ‘sweet spot’. Waiting longer, for example twelve weeks, may be better for the immunity, but in the meantime the delta variant is lurking.
For the study, 503 healthcare workers were examined, of whom 44 percent had had corona. The immune response after the Pfizer shot was looked at. Both a short interval (from three to four weeks) and a long interval (ten weeks) led to a strong defense. But the longer injection break resulted in an even higher immunity.
