I’ve been writing since December about how we should be “administering COVID-19 vaccines as fast as possible, not reserving doses”. The science was obvious back then: the vaccines stopped people from dying, even with one dose.
Now, more Canadian scientists have reviewed even more data, which show that it is right to focus on giving the first vaccine dose to as many people as possible. This is even more evidence that the wrong-headed decision to leave vaccine doses in freezers in the Isle of Man has been a terrible gamble with the lives of Manx people:
“With such a highly protective first dose, the benefits derived from a scarce supply of vaccine could be maximized by deferring second doses until all priority group members are offered at least one dose. There may be uncertainty about the duration of protection with a single dose, but the administration of a second dose within 1 month after the first, as recommended, provides little added benefit in the short term, while high-risk persons who could have received a first dose with that vaccine supply are left completely unprotected. Given the current vaccine shortage, postponement of the second dose is a matter of national security…”
Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine
Of course, the risk to lives in the Isle of Man (where the virus is probably less prevalent) is lower than in the United States or other countries. But none of the science here is dependent on the spread of the virus – it is based upon careful consideration of the vaccine.
The science has been, and continues to be, obvious. Vaccinations will save lives, and we should put the vaccines into people’s bodies.
At some stage in the future, we should hold accountable the managers who have made the dumb decision to risk Manx lives by failing to fully administer the doses that we have already received on the Isle of Man. Their wrong decisions represent a scientific and moral failure.