The health agencies of the European Union said this Wednesday morning that there is no evidence to support the use of a fourth dose of the vaccines against Covid-19 developed by Pfizer and modern in the general population, although they recommended a second booster for people aged 80 and older.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a joint statement that there is no clear evidence in the European Union that vaccine protection against severe disease is substantially diminishing in adults with normal immune systems between the ages of 60 and 79.
However, they cautioned that a fourth dose might need to be considered in this age group if the epidemiological situation changes.
Both agencies agreed that it can give a fourth dose to adults 80 years and older.
This recommendation came a week after European health ministers urged the bloc’s executive to support a fourth dose for those over 60 in order to boost immunity in the absence of vaccines that specifically protect against the omicron variant of the coronavirus. .
Many countries are easing restrictions, even as infections continue to occur. By the end of March 2022, 83% of adults had received a full first vaccination and 64% received a booster dose, health agencies said.
A study in Israel showed that elderly citizens who received a second booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech had a 78% lower death rate from the disease than those who received only one.
The agencies said there is no conclusive evidence of “an added value of a fourth dose” in those under 60.
agencies consider the best time for additional dosespossibly taking advantage of updated vaccines when revaccination campaigns begin in the fall.
