July 15, 2021 3 min read

We have all heard or read about the different variables of SARS-CoV-2 , in the same way that we have been informed about the side effects that some vaccines against the virus cause.

In Mexico we are in the middle of a third wave of COVID-19 and although a large percentage of the population still needs to be vaccinated, the AstraZeneca vaccine has caused a stir among the millennial population or those over 30 years of age due to the side effects after receiving it, within which are fever, severed body, among others.

And not only in Mexico but in other countries people have already begun to doubt whether they really need a second dose of this and other vaccines.

Should I use both doses?

The answer to this question is a clear and concise YES, given by experts in the field.

The explanation is simple, people who do not have the two doses of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in the recommended time intervals will not be fully protected or will not have optimal protection against the virus, much less against its reported variables.

A study , cited by The Conversation , showed that after two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, protection against the Delta variant of COVID-19, which is emerging as the dominant strain in the world, increased from 33 to 60 percent .

Why is it better to have two doses instead of one?

Messenger RNA vaccines such as Pfizer’s and AstraZeneca’s, which have two applications, produce the virus’s peak protein, triggering an immune response that recognizes and remembers it. However, this does not occur for a long time, which restricts immunity.

For this reason, according to the studies cited by the Australian media, limiting each dose and placing them twice will produce a better and longer-lasting immune response.

How long after should I receive my second dose?

The recommended time interval for receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is 12 weeks or at least four weeks.

However, according to research conducted in Australia, the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is 73 percent effective against the original strain of COVID-19 and when a second dose was applied in 12 weeks, it rose to 81 percent.

Also, some studies concluded that as the time (12 weeks instead of eight or less) between one dose and the other was higher, the levels of antibodies to stop the virus were higher.