Health recommends fourth dose of Covid vaccine for elderly people aged 80 and over

The Ministry of Health recommended this Wednesday (23) the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 80 and over.

The application should be carried out with an interval of four months from the application of the third dose. The preference is for the Pfizer vaccine. Janssen or AstraZeneca vaccines must be used alternatively.

THE sheet had already advanced that the recommendation would be published later this week.

According to a technical note from the folder, epidemiological data point to an increase in cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) by Covid in the age group 80 years of age or older, and there is a tendency for the vaccine to lose effectiveness over time.

“Some studies have shown a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines against Covid-19 from 3 to 4 months after their application and more pronounced after 5 months. The reduction in the effectiveness of vaccine platforms in the elderly can be explained, in part, by , due to the natural aging of the immune system. Therefore, different strategies to ensure protection in this specific group should always be reassessed”, said the note.

The fourth dose was already being studied by the folder. In February, however, Saúde did not recommend the fourth dose because it understood that there was still no scientific data to prove its need.

The Ministry of Health already recommends the application of a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in immunocompromised people over 12 years old.

They are in this public, for example, who are undergoing chemotherapy against cancer, have had some type of organ or stem cell transplant, live with HIV/AIDS or undergo hemodialysis.

Some states have already started the application of the fourth dose even before the recommendation of the paste. States and municipalities are not obliged to follow the recommendations of the federal government and can develop their own rules to combat the pandemic, as the STF (Supreme Federal Court) reinforced in a 2020 decision.

In São Paulo, the application began this Monday (21) in elderly people over 80 years of age. Only those who took the third dose at least four months ago can receive the fourth dose.

In this new stage, in São Paulo, the target audience will receive any of the four immunizing agents approved by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency): AstraZeneca, Coronavac, Janssen or Pfizer.

In Espírito Santo, the application of the fourth dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 also started this Monday. It is recommended for people aged 60 and over.

The fourth dose has also been adopted in other countries. France has announced a fourth dose of the Covid vaccine for people over 80 who received the booster dose more than three months ago. The announcement was made after a spike in cases.

In Germany, the vaccination commission recommended a fourth dose, after six months of the third, for at-risk groups such as those over 70, immunosuppressed people, people living and working in nursing homes and healthcare professionals.

In the US, Pfizer is seeking FDA clearance for a fourth dose of its vaccine in people age 65 and older.