The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency are talking about a new wave of coronavirus that is ongoing in Europe
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommend the second booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in people between the ages of 60 and 79 and people with medical conditions that put them at high risk for severe disease.
As they say ECDC and EMA, As a new wave is underway in Europe, with increasing rates of hospital and intensive care unit admissions, it is critical that public health authorities consider people aged between 60 and 79 as well as vulnerable people of all ages for a second booster dose, the which could be granted at least four months after the previous one. The focus on people who have had their previous booster dose for more than 6 months is highlighted In April ECDC and EMA recommended the second booster dose for people over 80 years of age. Currently approved vaccines continue to be highly effective in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations, severe illness, and deaths in the context of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Regarding the second booster dose in the wider population, ECDC and EMA note that at present, there is no clear evidence to support giving a second booster dose to people under 60 who are not at higher risk of severe disease.
At the same time, they say there is no clear evidence to support an early second booster dose in health care workers or those who work in long-term care homes unless they are at high risk.
However, those living in long-term care homes are likely to be at risk of serious illness and should be considered for a second booster in accordance with national recommendations.
ECDC and EMA have asked public health authorities across the EU to move forward with planning for additional booster doses in the autumn and winter for people at higher risk of severe disease, possibly combining vaccinations for COVID-19 with those for the flu.
National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) will ultimately make national decisions about who should receive second booster doses, taking into account the situation in their countries.
RES-EMP
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