Boost doses for the general population “are not appropriate at this stage of the pandemic,” international scientists say.
A group of international scientists has stated in a new report published in a medical journal that it does not need any additional vaccination against the COVID-19 vaccine for the general population.
The report, published Monday in The Lancet, concluded that, even with the threat of the more contagious Delta variant, “booster doses for the general population are not adequate at this stage of the pandemic.”
“Any decision on the need for an increase or timing of reinforcement should be based on careful analysis of adequately controlled clinical or epidemiological data, or both, that indicate a persistent and significant reduction in serious disease,” the scientists.
The scientists said more evidence was needed to justify the boosters and that vaccines remain highly effective against the severe symptoms of COVID-19, in all major virus variants, including Delta.
“Overall, currently available studies do not provide credible evidence of a substantial decrease in protection against serious disease, which is the main goal of vaccination,” said lead author Ana-Maria Henao-Restrepo, of the l ‘WHO.
He said priority should be given to vaccine doses for people around the world who are still waiting for a punch.
“If vaccines are implemented where they will do the most good, they could accelerate the end of the pandemic by inhibiting the evolution of variants,” he added.
This view runs counter to the U.S. government’s plans to begin offering another round of shootings to many fully vaccinated Americans as early as next week, provided health regulators are approved.
The authors acknowledged that some individuals, such as those who are immunocompromised, could benefit from an additional dose.
A panel of experts advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on vaccines plans to meet Sept. 17 to discuss additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, the first step in a wider deployment.
Among the authors of the Lancet article were leading WHO scientists, Soumya Swaminathan, Ana-Maria Henao-Restrepo and Mike Ryan.
Vaccine inequity
Some countries have begun to offer additional doses due to fears about the much more contagious Delta variant, and have caused the WHO to call for a moratorium on third strikes amid concerns over the supply of vaccines to poorer countries, where millions have not yet received their first blow.
“Current vaccine supplies could save more lives if used in previously unvaccinated populations,” the authors wrote.
Countries like France have begun distributing third blows to seniors and people with compromised immune systems, while Israel has gone further, offering children 12 years and older a third dose five months after receiving a second blow.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on countries to avoid giving additional COVID shots until the end of the year, as the UN health agency urges all nations to vaccinate at least 10% of their populations by the end of this month and at least 40 per cent by the end of this year.
The Lancet article concluded that the current variants had not been developed enough to escape the immune response provided by the vaccines currently in use.
The authors argued that if new virus mutations capable of evading this response appear, it would be better to administer specially modified vaccine boosters targeting newer variants, rather than a third dose of an existing vaccine.