European regulatory authorities, specifically the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), have updated their recommendations on mRNA vaccines, reporting a drop in the age of people at which recommends that the second booster dose against COVID-19 be administered, going from people over 80 to over 60.
In this way, people between 60 and 79 years of age and those with health problems that make them vulnerable to developing the disease have been advised to receive what would be the fourth dose of the COVID mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna). stronger way, as is the case of immunosuppressed or transplanted people, among others.
This decision has been taken due to the generalized increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections, specifically due to the omicron BA.5 sublineage, in what would already be the seventh wave of infections. “With the current wave in Europe, with increasing rates of hospital and ICU admissions, it is essential that Public Health authorities now consider the population between 79 and 60 years of age also as vulnerable people for a second booster dose,” they explain. from both institutions.
When will the fourth dose be given to those over 60 years of age
As they have explained, this second booster dose could be administered at least four months after the third dose (first booster dose) has been given and should be prioritized for those for whom more than six months have passed since that third injection, which would be the ones with the lowest levels of protective antibodies.
The second booster dose can be given to people over 60 years of age who received the third injection at least four months ago
In April, both agencies had recommended a second booster for those over 80 years of age and saw the need to administer a second booster for those over 60 and in high-risk groups of any age in the event of a relapse. They insist that the currently authorized vaccines are still effective in preventing hospitalizations for coronavirus, the development of the disease in a serious way and death from COVID-19, despite the new subvariants predominant today.
“I call on Member States to implement second boosters for all people over 60, as well as all vulnerable people, immediately and urge all those eligible to come forward and get vaccinated. This is how we protect ourselves, our loved ones and our vulnerable populations’”, said Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
However, countries such as Spain or Portugal have not made an official statement, they have only decided that these vaccines will be administered to those over 80 years of age – something that the EMA already recommended a few months ago – but without indicating when exactly. Carolina Darias has commented that she is waiting for the experts from the Vaccine Conference to rule on the matter. It is estimated that they could begin to be applied as of autumn, when more effective vaccines against the new subvariants of the virus are available, in order to reduce the chances of vaccine leakage that the current vaccines could have with respect to the new variants.
.
