New evidence shows there's no need for extra doses of COVID - 19 vaccine
n a position published in the leading health officials from all around the world say booster doses of COVID 19 vaccine aren t necessary yet.
Current evidence does not appear to show a need for strengthening in the general population, in which vaccine efficacy against severe disease remains high, the authors write.
The health authorities say some people, including those with weakened immune systems, may need additional doses to raise their protection against COVID - 19, but that data supporting the need to give the general population additional doses isn't convincing at this point.
The commentary included experts from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA as well as major academic institutions in the world. It heightens the ongoing tension among public health officials regarding if, and when, booster doses should be given. One issue surrounds the science — public health authorities are still interpreting data on infections and disease among vaccinated people to understand what those mean. Another issue is the limited supply of vaccines for most people on earth. Earlier this summer, the WHO asked for a moratorium on providing boosters, at least until the end of the year, until more people can get vaccinated, especially in poor countries. However, the U.S. public health leaders who are led by the White House decided to roll out boosters on Sept. 20 despite the fact that such additional doses have not yet been deemed safe or effective by the FDA.
Studies show that protection against COVID - 19, measured by the level of antibodies generated by people who are vaccinated, wanes after about six months. But that doesn t mean these people are dramatically more vulnerable to disease, the authors say. Reductions in neutralizing antibody titer do not necessarily predict decreases of vaccine efficacy over time, and reductions in vaccine efficacy against severe disease do not necessarily predict reductions in the typically higher efficacy against mild disease. Even against the latest, more severe variants of SARS-CoV -2 including Delta, these vaccines continue to protect people from getting transmittible COVID - 19, these health officials say. While often vaccinated studies have reported breakthrough infections, in which vaccinated people tested positive for the virus. In the U.S. Centers for Disease Control CDC data show that between January and April 2020, around 10,000 breakthrough infections were reported by states among 101 million vaccinated people a rate of 0.01% About a quarter of those people experienced no symptoms and the majority of those who did were generally mild and did not require hospitalization or critical care.
Why do some health officials advocate booster shots, particularly those who have pushed for stricter booster shots in the U.S.? In August, President Biden s health team, which includes Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, the heads of the National Institutes of Health and the FDA, said that the U.S. plans to reissue booster doses for anyone eight months late from their last vaccine dose on 20 September. The announcement surprised many in the medical community, since any additional dose would have to be approved or approved by the FDA first and then recommended by the CDC. While Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have both submitted requests for the FDA to green light a booster, the agency has yet not made a decision. The agency also authorized booster shots for a limited population of people with compromised immune systems in August. The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meets on Sept. 17 to discuss the data submitted by Pfizer-BioNTech a similar meeting for Moderna, if it will occur, has not yet been scheduled yet The White House said it made its decision to roll out booster shots in order to give states and other local health departments time to prepare for another massive vaccination campaign — to stay ahead of this virus by being prepared, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said during a briefing The team also pointed out data concerning breakthrough infections among vaccinated people was concerning and said in the direction of waning immunity.
But the authors note that interpreting those data can be tricky. For example, cited research shows growing levels of immunity and dropping rates of breakthrough infections in recent months. However, that research shows breakthrough infections among people vaccinated in January and April were higher than those vaccinated in February and March, which doesn't seem to follow any obvious scientific reason.
Even if booster does is required, authors say that a more specific vaccine against specific variants could be more effective than adding an additional dose of the existing vaccine.
The authors also argue that using limited supply of existing vaccines around the world to first vaccinate unvaccinated would do more to reduce emergence of new variants and raise overall immunity rates than would boosting the already vaccinated. Although existing vaccines can not help people prevent getting infected to begin with, they continue to provide adequate protection against serious disease. Before boosters are rolled out, they say, more data are needed to justify which types of doses are best effective, when they may be needed, and for whom.
Any decisions about the need for boosting or timing of boosting should be based on adequate analyses of clinical or epidemiological data, or both, indicating a permanent and meaningful reduction in severe disease, write the authors, along with evidence about whether a specific boosting regimen is likely to work against current circulating variants.