WHO experts warn against repeated boosters as strategy against COVID-19
pharmafile | January 12, 2022 | News story | Research and Development |
Repeating booster doses of the original COVID-19 vaccines is not a viable strategy against emerging variants, WHO has shared, predicting that more than half of Europe’s population will be infected with the Omicron variant within the next six to eight weeks. The organisation has called for new jabs that better protect against transmission of new variants.
An expert group created by WHO, assessing the performance of COVID-19 vaccines, has stated that providing booster doses of existing vaccines as new strains of the virus emerge may not be the best way to fight the pandemic.
The group called for the development of new vaccines that not only protect people who contract COVID-19 against falling seriously ill, but also better prevent people from catching the virus in the first place. Vaccine developers must, then, work towards jabs that provide long-lasting immune responses, in order “to reduce the need for successive booster doses.”
“A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable,” said WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) in a statement. “COVID-19 vaccines that have high impact on prevention of infection and transmission, in addition to the prevention of severe disease and death, are needed and should be developed,” the group advised, stating that this would decrease “community transmission and the need for stringent and broad-reaching public health and social measures”.
According to WHO, 331 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world. The UN health agency has so far given its stamp of approval to versions of eight different vaccines.
WHO has contended the push to roll out blanket booster programmes in the face of Omicron, stating many people in poorer nations are still waiting for a first vaccination dose, significantly increasing the chance of new, more dangerous variants emerging. Over 67% of people in high income countries have received at least one vaccine. Meanwhile, fewer than 11% have received their first dose in low income countries, according to UN numbers.
Ana Ovey
