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The World Health Organization on Tuesday endorsed booster vaccines for coronavirus vaccines more strongly than before, although it continues to stress the importance of increasing access to starting doses in parts of the world that have been lagging behind in immunization efforts. .
Broad support comes as WHO’s stance on boosters continues to evolve. Last year, he opposed booster vaccines for the general public, arguing that it was morally untenable to overdose people already vaccinated in rich countries, while billions of people in poorer countries had not yet received their first dose. it additionally supported doses Only immunocompromised peopleWho is the first vaccine series for? may be less effective.
Tuesday’s approval expands on the organization’s previous guidance on booster shots. It was published as part of a broader WHO assessment of vaccination efforts amid the wave caused by the Omicron variant, which may evade some of the protection afforded by vaccines and previous coronavirus infections.
The organization “strongly supports urgent and broad access to available Covid-19 vaccines for primary series and supplemental doses, particularly for groups at risk of developing serious illness.” expression.
On December 9, WHO recommended that people with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine receive a second dose if possible, based on growing evidence that the vaccine performs better when given as two shots. on January 11, he said countries may offer reinforcements, but the more immediate priority is primary immunizations. Recommended on January 21 boosters Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, starting with high-risk groups.
called in August a moratorium leaders in booster shots and in September extend that moratorium at least until the end of the year.
The geographic and economic differences in vaccination rates remain dazzling: Only 14 percent of people living in low-income countries received a dose. Our World in Data A project at Oxford University. Worldwide, this rate is around 65 percent and exceeds 90 percent in some countries.
But science around boosters That has changed with the virus, and WHO’s increasingly empowering position reflects this. Initial vaccine regimens were much less effective at preventing infection with the Omicron variant than previous variants, and while they remained very good at preventing serious disease, their effectiveness on this front was also reduced to a lesser extent.
As a result, boosters It has become an increasingly important tool against the virus.
Rebecca Robbins contributing reporting.
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