The state is officially tweaking its guidance around giving Delawareans second doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were each approved by the FDA as two-dose regimens, with the second shot coming three weeks and one month after the first respectively.
The state Division of Public Health recommends the state’s vaccine partners schedule second doses 28 to 35 days after the first.
The CDC updated its guidance on these intervals last week. It now allows second doses to be administered up to 42 days after the first, but only if it is “not feasible” to stick to the original timeline.
The CDC says it is “not advocating for people to delay getting their second dose,” but that “the data from clinical trials support this range.”
The state emphasizes that its new policy will enable it to continue administering first doses to those 65 and older, who are most vulnerable to the virus.
Public health officials say the first dose of vaccine alone provides 52 to 80 percent protection, which is still better than the average flu vaccine.
At least 90,000 seniors in the state have requested appointments for vaccination.
The CDC says more than 140,000 doses have been distributed to Delaware.
