The time between doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is being increased, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.
'From today, the standard time will become six weeks between the first and second doses of the vaccine,' he says.
'Moving to a longer gap allows us to give a first dose to a larger number of people faster, which means providing more people with partial protection sooner. This is an important part of our being prepared for a possible outbreak of the more infectious Delta variant of the virus.
'Early findings from a small number of well-designed studies show that an extended duration between doses of the Pfizer vaccine gives at least an equally robust immune response, with no additional safety concerns.
'This new guidance is in line with other international programmes using the Pfizer vaccine. For example, the interval between doses in Denmark and Norway ranges between six and 12 weeks, while the United States uses three weeks but allows up to six weeks.
'The larger interval is also consistent with the advice from the COVID Technical Advisory Group (CVTAG) for an extended interval between doses to reduce the likelihood of a rare side effect of myocarditis or pericarditis*.
'I do want to reassure people that if you have already been fully vaccinated with two doses less than six weeks apart, as we have been doing, you will have very strong protection against the virus and do not need to doubt that.
'People who already have vaccinations booked less than six weeks apart can keep their second appointment or choose to change it. Either way, the most important thing is that everybody needs two doses of the vaccine to be fully vaccinated.
'If you already have a booking, you can choose to reschedule it at BookMyVaccine.nz
