From Bryn Glover, Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, UK
I am glad to read that the University of Oxford’s Sarah Gilbert thinks more research is needed into the “half-dose” findings on the vaccine jointly developed with AstraZeneca (28 November, p 7). So far, nearly all commentary on the half-dose observation has been along the lines of coy smiles at a piece of serendipity, following a possible technical error in the trials.
But the obvious questions would be: whether a 50 per cent first dose was better than any other percentage; whether a number of doses at increasing strength works better (say, a 20 per cent dose followed by a 70 per cent dose and then the full dose); or, perhaps more significantly, whether the 60 to 70 per cent efficacy of the regular annual flu vaccine – or any other vaccine – could be improved by splitting the dose in this way.
If anyone should propose an investigation into the latter, may I join the queue to put my name down as a volunteer?
