Skip to main content

Harris Urges Governor Hogan to Consider Vaccine Administration Changes to Maximize Number of Vaccine Recipients

February 19, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D., today wrote Governor Hogan and the Maryland Acting Secretary of Health, urging them to prioritize and consider using all available vaccine doses for first dose administrations. In his letter, Dr. Harris cites independent research published this week in both The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine arguing that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is up to 90% effective 2-4 weeks after administration. Given these findings, and similar findings that would indicate high efficacy for one dose of Moderna's mRNA vaccine, as well as the limited supply of vaccine doses relative to demand, Dr. Harris is urging the Governor to consider utilizing available vaccine second doses for first time recipients.

Additionally, and in line with new data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently updated its guidance, stating that up to 42 days may pass between doses, doubling the amount of days recommended under prior guidance. The United Kingdom has already implemented a delayed second dose distribution model, and other developed nations are beginning to follow suit in the hopes of rapidly reaching a level of herd immunity. These efforts will also provide additional time for mRNA manufacturers to develop variant-specific booster vaccines.

Congressman Harris wrote further:

"Based on these new data publications, it would appear to indicate that a single dose of a mRNA vaccine will provide nearly as much protection against COVID-19 infection as the current two dose regime…Provided this new information, and the current scarcity of vaccines for our most vulnerable populations, I ask that you immediately consider revising the State's vaccine administration guidelines to account for this updated data, and begin to more widely administer a single dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines, until all vulnerable and essential populations are inoculated. We can look to the current success of the United Kingdom, who has similarly faced vaccine scarcity, and feel assured that the data now indicates this is a safe approach to protecting as many as possible. In addition to significantly broadening our vaccinated population at comparable protective levels, such a policy would also complement efforts by mRNA vaccine manufacturers to produce variant-specific boosts.

Given current bureaucratic hurdles, I urge you to work with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to assist with continued data collection, and support a revised Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to best account for this most recent data. I appreciate your leadership throughout this pandemic, and urge you to continue to lead on this important issue to help keep thousands of Marylanders safe and healthy, by adopting a single dose policy until all our essential and vulnerable constituents are vaccinated."

Issues:Health