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On Monday came the news that many were waiting for, when the coronary vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech was formally approved by the European Medicines Agency.
This means that Norway receives its first doses of the vaccine on Christmas 2 and already on Christmas 3 the vaccination can begin.
But even if it is only a few days until the first vaccinations in Norway, it will be several weeks before the vaccine takes full effect.
– Even if you have been vaccinated, you must be careful. It’s not the case that the vaccine provides adequate protection right away, says chief physician Are Stuwitz Berg of the National Institute of Public Health.
They receive the vaccine first
Must pay attention
Everyone who receives the coronary vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech needs two doses to achieve the optimal level of protection.
“There is some effect after the first dose, but you have to take two doses to get the full effect,” says Sara Viksmoen Watle, chief physician in the department of infection control and vaccines at FHI.
TAKES TIME: Berg says it takes time before the vaccine takes full effect. Photo: Heiko Junge
Pfizer studies show that the effect after the first dose is around 52 percent. When you have taken the second dose, it will increase to 95 percent.
– You will be slightly protected after the first dose, but you may still be infected with corona. That’s why it’s important to keep wearing face masks, keep your distance, and think about infection control, even if you’ve been vaccinated, Berg says.
TWO DOSES: Two doses of the vaccine are required. Photo: Dado Ruvic
Several weeks
21 days after setting the first dose, a new dose of the vaccine should be administered. After this, it takes a few more days before the vaccine reaches its full effect.
– It takes between one and two weeks after the last dose is set before the vaccine reaches the 95 percent efficiency rate, Berg says.
This means that it takes at least 28 days, or four weeks, from when the first dose is established until the vaccine has taken full effect.
– Compared to other vaccines, this is pretty good. It’s completely normal for it to take some time and for you to need multiple doses of a vaccine, Berg says.
Here are the first vaccines
Still some uncertainty
It is not currently known how long the effect of the vaccine will last. If protection wanes over time, FHI says it may be relevant with refreshing doses.
“The vaccine is likely to last six months, and probably even longer, but this is something they are investigating now,” says Watle.
There is little documentation on the effect of the vaccine on the oldest and the very young. The clinical studies that have been carried out have mainly evaluated people aged 18 to 65 years.
– People over the age of 75 are only included in clinical studies to a limited extent. We think the effect will be good among older ones too, but we don’t know how good, says Watle.
