Iraq, Kurdistan announce 8-week gap between Pfizer doses
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region on Tuesday announced there will now be a longer gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after British researchers said longer time between shots boosts antibodies against the Delta variant.
Following a decision from the Iraqi health ministry, starting Wednesday there will be an eight week (56 day) gap between the first and second jab of the Pfizer vaccine, instead of the shorter 21 days it had previously dictated, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health announced.
Those who have already received their first jab of Pfizer, will be given the second one three weeks afterwards, on the date appointed on their vaccination cards, it added.
Rudaw English reached out to Iraq’s Ministry of Health, which confirmed the news but did not comment. The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health was unavailable for comment.
None of the ministries explained the reasoning behind the change. However, a UK research group led by Oxford University last month found that delaying the second dose of Pfizer for up to 10 weeks can boost antibodies and helper T-cells, which help the body fight viruses, strengthening the immune system.
Iraq is recording more than 6,000 cases per day and the Kurdistan Region more than 1,500, though both are seeing infection rates slow after record high new cases in a third wave of the virus as the more contagious Delta variant spread.
The surge in infections contributed to an increased demand for vaccines, especially Pfizer, which was initially only administered in central hospitals but is now more widely available. There are at least 135 vaccination centers in the Kurdistan Region, according to statistics from the health ministry.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region received their first vaccines, the Chinese-made Sinopharm, in March. It has also obtained Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. The Kurdistan Region has received 1,164,180 doses of all three vaccines, according to data shared by the government last week. A total of 581,056 vaccines have been administrated in the Region, 308,860 of them Pfizer.
Iraq received a batch of two million coronavirus vaccines, its largest delivery, earlier this month. A statement from the ministry said that they will be distributed to vaccination centres in Baghdad and all provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.
Following a decision from the Iraqi health ministry, starting Wednesday there will be an eight week (56 day) gap between the first and second jab of the Pfizer vaccine, instead of the shorter 21 days it had previously dictated, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health announced.
Those who have already received their first jab of Pfizer, will be given the second one three weeks afterwards, on the date appointed on their vaccination cards, it added.
Rudaw English reached out to Iraq’s Ministry of Health, which confirmed the news but did not comment. The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health was unavailable for comment.
None of the ministries explained the reasoning behind the change. However, a UK research group led by Oxford University last month found that delaying the second dose of Pfizer for up to 10 weeks can boost antibodies and helper T-cells, which help the body fight viruses, strengthening the immune system.
Iraq is recording more than 6,000 cases per day and the Kurdistan Region more than 1,500, though both are seeing infection rates slow after record high new cases in a third wave of the virus as the more contagious Delta variant spread.
The surge in infections contributed to an increased demand for vaccines, especially Pfizer, which was initially only administered in central hospitals but is now more widely available. There are at least 135 vaccination centers in the Kurdistan Region, according to statistics from the health ministry.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region received their first vaccines, the Chinese-made Sinopharm, in March. It has also obtained Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. The Kurdistan Region has received 1,164,180 doses of all three vaccines, according to data shared by the government last week. A total of 581,056 vaccines have been administrated in the Region, 308,860 of them Pfizer.
Iraq received a batch of two million coronavirus vaccines, its largest delivery, earlier this month. A statement from the ministry said that they will be distributed to vaccination centres in Baghdad and all provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.