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We have been waiting for this decision for a long time. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have officially recommended a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 60 to 79 years. – We are seeing rising rates of COVID-19 cases and a growing trend of admissions to hospitals and intensive care units, mainly due to the BA.5 sub-option. Omikron, said Dr. Andrea Ammon, the director of ECDC.
- Coronavirus infections are rising again in Poland, Europe and the world
- It became necessary to protect the most vulnerable groups to infections
- Since April, people aged 2 and over could receive an expensive booster dose of SARS-CoV-80 vaccines
- Now, ECDC and EMA have extended those eligible to include people aged 60-79 and those with chronic diseases that increase the risk of a severe course of COVID-19
- In Poland, vaccines will probably start to be administered in autumn
- More important information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
Fourth dose of vaccine: new ECDC and EMA recommendations
There has been talk for a long time about the need for a fourth (second booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The problem has become more and more topical, especially now with the next wave of coronavirus infections. The heads of European states waited for the guidelines of regulators on this subject, ie the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The official recommendation appeared on Monday.
«ECDC and EMA recommend considering a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 60 to 79 years and for people with medical conditions that put them at high risk of developing severe disease»- reads a joint statement by both agencies.
“In April 2022, both agencies recommended that a second booster dose be considered for those over 80 years of age. At the same time, agencies noted that second booster doses may need to be considered for people aged 60 to 79 and for susceptible people of all ages if the infection recurs, »we read further.
«As there is a new wave in Europe now, with admissions to hospitals and intensive care units (ICU) increasing, it is very important that public health authorities now consider people aged 60 to 79, as well as vulnerable people age for the second booster dose. It can be given at least four months after the previous one, with particular attention to people who received a previous booster dose more than six months ago.»Explains ECDC.
The morbidity has increased again
«Our COVID-19 vaccines work and provide a good level of protection against severe illness and hospitalization. As cases and hospitalizations continue to increase as we enter the summer season, I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and take a booster dose as soon as possible. There is no time to waste »added Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
“I call on the Member States to immediately introduce second booster doses for all people over the age of 60 and for all vulnerable people, and I call on all who can come and get vaccinated. In this way, we protect ourselves, our loved ones and our population»- she noted.
«We are currently seeing rising COVID-19 incidence rates and a growing trend in hospital and intensive care admissions in several countries, mainly due to the BA.5 sub-option. the Omikron variant »added Dr Andrea Ammon, Director of ECDC.
«This heralds the start of a new, widespread COVID-19 wave across the European Union. There are still too many people at risk of seriously infected with COVID-19 that we need to protect as soon as possible. We need to remind people of the importance of vaccination from the first dose to the second booster dose. We have to start today »- she pointed out.
What about younger people? Still no data
As we read in the statement by ECDC and EMA, now «There is no conclusive evidence that a second booster dose is required for those under 60 years of age who are not at risk of suffering from severe disease. There is also no clear evidence that a second booster dose is required for healthcare professionals or people working in long-term care homes, unless they are at high risk of infection ».
The Center also emphasizes that «residents of long-term care homes are likely to be at risk of serious illness and booster doses should be considered according to national recommendations ».
ECDC and EMA called on public health authorities across the EU to schedule additional fall / winter booster doses for those at highest risk of severe disease, possibly combining COVID-19 vaccination with influenza vaccination.
The National Technical Advisory Groups on Immunization (NITAG) will ultimately make local decisions about who should receive the second booster dose.
Fourth dose: who can take it?
Currently in Poland, the fourth dose (i.e. the second booster) of the vaccine against COVID-19 can be taken by two groups: people aged 80+ and people over 12 years of age with impaired immunity, in whom the immune response to vaccination may be insufficient.
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Vaccinations of the first group started on April 20, people with reduced immunity could take the fourth dose earlier.
A second booster dose may be taken five months after the first. Only mRNA vaccines: Comirnaty (Pfizer) or Spikevax (Moderna) are used for booster vaccination. The Ministry of Health recommends vaccination with the same preparation that was administered during the first booster vaccination.
What will the Polish government do now?
The Polish government has recently been asked very often about the possibility of giving the fourth dose of the vaccine to a wider group of people. Medonet also sent questions to the Ministry of Health. The ministry replied that it was waiting for the green light from European agencies all the time.
«Currently, vaccinations against COVID-19 are carried out on the basis of the current official recommendations, which may be updated with the decision of the European Medicines Agency regarding the dosage regimens for the preparations used in the implementation of vaccination» – we found out at the end of June.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced at the same time that – expecting the EMA decision at the turn of June and July – a fourth dose of the vaccine for the wider group will be available in the fall.
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