French health agency recommends spacing out vaccine doses to speed up rollout

France's national health agency HAS recommended on Saturday administering the second shot of an anti-coronavirus vaccine six weeks after the first one, up from three weeks for Pfizer and four for Moderna.

"In order to protect more people at risk of hospitalization or death, HAS recommends extending to 6 weeks the gap between doses of the RNA-messenger vaccine (vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna)," an advisory read.

The health authority estimated that an additional 700,000 people could receive the first shot within a month. One-shot generates an immune response, while two are needed for a full benefit.

The US drugmaker Pfizer said earlier that longer-than-recommended timeframes had not been tested, but a rise in infection rates across Europe and the recent supply delays have led to calls for a speedier vaccination rollout. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )