Walgreens has been giving out the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine about four weeks after the first dose, which is not the suggested amount of time from federal health officials, The New York Times reports.
What did Walgreens do?
Per The New York Times, Walgreens has not been following the guidance of federal health officials, who have said the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine needs to be given out three weeks after the first.
- Instead, Walgreens separated the doses “by four weeks because that made it faster and simpler for the company to schedule appointments,” according to The New York Times.
Dr. Kevin Ban, Walgreens’s chief medical officer, told The New York Times that this was “the easiest way to stand up the process based on our capabilities at the time.”
Is this a problem for your COVID-19 vaccine?
There’s no evidence that separating the doses by four weeks would make the vaccine less effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the second dose can be distributed up to six weeks after the first dose.
What’s next?
Walgreens will now begin following the public health guidance and give out the second dose of the vaccine after three weeks, according to the Chicago Tribune.