Here is an article published on February 4th at The Scientist: Will delaying vaccine doses cause a Coronavirus escape mutant?:
“The pandemic has entered a new phase. Millions of people around the world are now receiving their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine each day. In a few countries, including the UK, millions will wait for up to 12 weeks before they receive their second dose. Vaccinating as many people as possible with initial doses before moving on to second doses is intended as the fastest means of inducing a good level of protection within the population. But some experts say they worry that this constitutes a giant experiment in viral evolution, where the potential consequences remain troublingly unclear.
Among those concerned is Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at the Rockefeller University. “Rolling out a partially effective vaccine regime in the peak of a highly prevalent viral epidemic is just not a great idea if one of your goals is to avoid vaccine resistance,” he says.
There’s a chance, Bieniasz explains, that people waiting for their second dose may have a sub-optimal level of immunity that places selective pressure on the virus. If someone were to become infected during the interval between jabs, that pressure could allow for the emergence of a mutant version of SARS-CoV-2 able to shake off a person’s immune response—a so-called escape variant. Any such variant that also proved capable of causing severe disease could potentially spark a whole new, devastating wave of infections and deaths.”
