Will a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine be needed? What is known about this topic?

Will there be a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? – We cannot exclude that it will be introduced – said the immunologist Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski on Radio Zet. And he is not the first to raise this topic. Voices about the fourth dose are also heard in Israel. Recently, the CDC agency indicated in updated guidelines who might need another injection and when. What is known about the fourth dose?

1. Administering the next dose of the vaccine is intended to improve, consolidate and extend the protection of full immunization against COVID-19
2. On November 2, 2021, vaccinations with a booster dose began for all persons aged 18 and over and completed the full vaccination course. There are also voices about the next dose of the vaccine
3. – We cannot exclude that the fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be introduced – said the immunologist Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski on Radio Zet. In his opinion, another injection may be needed in people whose immune response after vaccination may not be sufficient, i.e. those at the most advanced age and with chronic diseases.
4. What about the widespread use of the fourth dose? Here is the information coming from Israel. Bartosz Fiałek points out important issues
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Why do I need booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines?

To begin with, let’s recall the most important thing – why we use booster doses of vaccines at all. In short, it has to do with the phenomenon of declining immunity. Remember that it is completely normal, because not all vaccines are preparations that work for life. In a word, the purpose of administering the next dose of the vaccine is to improve, consolidate and extend the protection.

Recently, Adam Niedzielski referred to it: – We are XNUMX% sure that the third dose increases the body’s immunity, which decreases after six months after full vaccination, and on the other hand, its administration is also safe – he emphasized.

The first country to use the third dose universally is Israel. The vaccination campaign with the next dose started there in August this year (first among people over 65 years of age, then in other citizens aged 12+).

How effective is the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at all? The October study by the Israeli health organization Clalit Health Services brings the answer (importantly, the study participants were vaccinated almost exclusively with the Pfizer preparation). The work showed that the third dose of this preparation was 92% effective. in preventing serious illness.

Will there be a fourth dose? Dr. Grzesiowski: we cannot rule out. Who may need it?

The topic of the next – fourth – dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming more and more frequent in the public space. On November 9, the immunologist Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski referred to the subject on Radio Zet. – We cannot rule out that the fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be introduced. Staying with this topic, the specialist focused mainly on people whose immune response after vaccination may not be sufficient. – These are people at the most advanced age, with chronic diseases – he said. According to the expert, it may be even 10-15 percent. vaccinated people. – For them, we have a proposal for a third dose, because it turned out that two doses were too little stimulation. Perhaps the fourth dose will be needed – we cannot rule it out today – emphasized Dr. Grzesiowski.

Experts from the American CDC agency talked about it at the end of October. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In their opinion, a fourth injection may be needed by people with moderate or severe immunodeficiency.

Recall that this category of patients includes people who are actively treated for blood cancer or other cancers, recipients of certain organs and stem cells, people with advanced or untreated HIV, and those who take high doses of corticosteroids or other drugs that may weaken the immune system. . According to the CDC, approximately 44% of fully vaccinated immunocompromised people. breakthrough cases of infections requiring hospitalization. The studies also showed that giving these people a third dose boosted their immune response.

The CDC has not yet made a recommendation to administer a fourth dose, but the agency recommends that patients talk to their doctors to determine if they need a second dose. American doctors point out that the possible administration of the fourth dose to these people will be possible at the earliest in March 2022, that is six months after the third injection (more: Fourth dose of the vaccine. Who may need it? Explains the CDC).

Israel: we must prepare for the fourth injection of the vaccine

So the fourth dose is spoken of in the context of immunocompromised people, but what about the common administration of the fourth injection? The question here is how long the protective effect of the third dose lasts. On November 8, information about the leak of the results of a study conducted by the Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer was released. According to them, the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine immunizes for nine to 10 months. This research paper is expected to be published in the next few weeks.

Voices regarding another injection of the COVID-19 vaccine have been heard from Israel for several months. Already in early September, Israeli coronavirus expert Prof. Salman Zarek. – Considering that the coronavirus is with us and will continue to be, we must prepare for the fourth injection of the vaccine – emphasized the expert. In his opinion, administration of the vaccine may be necessary every five to six months, and at least once a year.

Zarka also pointed out that you have to take into account new waves of infections, but also new variants of SARS-CoV-2 (this means that subsequent booster doses may be modified to better protect against new mutations of the pathogen). At the moment, there is no information when specifically in Israel the fourth dose could be introduced and who it would cover first.

Will there be a fourth dose of the vaccine? Bartosz Fiałek: There is nothing to talk about yet

What is it like now? At the end of October, we asked Bartosz Fiałek, a rheumatologist and promoter of medical knowledge. – There is nothing to talk about at the moment. This is a purely hypothetical matter at the moment, unsubstantiated by scientific evidence. And as long as an issue is not confirmed, it is only a curiosity, not a science – emphasizes the doctor. – There are no data yet to support a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines. We have only just started to administer the third dose, the discussion at the present stage about the fourth dose as a probable procedure is, in my opinion, unreasonable and unreliable – he estimates.

Referring to the information coming from Israel, the doctor emphasizes: – Israel is always ahead and for many countries, such as Poland, it is a very good prognosis – we will be able to benefit from their experience. But you should be aware that they are discussing the study of the duration of the immune response after a booster dose, and in this context about whether to start analyzing the immune response obtained with the fourth dose rather than the appropriateness of administering it. This is not the time – says Fiałek.

The specialist also points out a very important point, namely that “Too much vaccination, not just COVID-19 vaccines, is not good.” – This action can lead to the so-called “Exhaustion” of the immune system due to its too frequent stimulation and stimulation. Then we will get the opposite effect, because the immune system overloaded the immune system will no longer protect us (the whole interview: Will the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine be necessary?).

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1. The third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people 18+. Five important questions [WE EXPLAIN]
2. How long will the pandemic last? “The virus is heading towards weakness”
3. What are the side effects after the third dose of the vaccine? [LIST]

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