These things are tough! Understandable that some expressed reservations about this while other leading scientists supported the dose-sparing strategy. But holding off on declaring such disagreements to be “not following the science” might help. Dose sparing was not unprecedented.
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Twitter EDIT button: When the UK decided last December to delay boosters to speed up coverage, it faced denunciations that it wasn't "following the science"—not just that people could disagree with it, but that it was unscientific. Today, UK deaths are much lower. See thread
.pic.twitter.com/1KU07bTrOR
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The lockdown piece gets interwoven with the one-dose vaccine efficacy - nice modelling from PHE really shows that there's been benefits from vaccines on top - 10400 deaths spared from the vaccine.pic.twitter.com/ewGw9XVMLL
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That's not nice modelling from PHE, its based on a completely misleading report that picks out a very specific cohort of people a substantial proportion of whom had 2nd pfizer doses pre-policy change, and measures effectiveness "from the first dose"


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You have probably forgotten the most important and powerful factor that made it possible decrease death and case numbers: long and strict lockdown for weeks. A bit like in Israel. The combination works. Lockdown brings down cases and vaccines prevent resurgence.
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My working guess is that I probably have not forgotten it, especially since it is explicitly referred to in the tweet you are replying to. The point here was dose-sparing may be a thorny decision, but being too quick to claim science on one's side isn't the flex many think it is.
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This analysis from March on the potential impact of delaying 2nd doses in the US suggests the pandemic would now largely be behind us: https://topicaltwist.substack.com/p/our-missed-opportunity … Instead, we're in something of a 4th wave
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. On that note, back to the piece I’m actually writing.