London, April 6 (BUS) – European health officials have said it is too early to consider giving a fourth dose of the RNA coronavirus vaccine to most people, but they say an additional booster dose can be given to those over 80.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said they reviewed data for a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc.
It included real-world data from Israel, where research has shown that a second booster provides only marginally higher protection, the AP reports.
For adults younger than 60 with no underlying health problems, “there is currently no conclusive evidence that the vaccine’s protection against severe disease is diminished or that there is an added value to a fourth dose,” according to the EMA and ECDC.
That advice contrasts with guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which decided last week that Americans 50 and older can get a second booster dose of COVID-19 if at least four months have passed since their last vaccination.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later recommended the extra syringe as an option, but stopped short of urging those who qualify to rush in and get it right away. This decision extends the additional reinforcement to millions of other Americans.
The European recommendations come as many countries across the continent have abandoned nearly all of their COVID-19 restrictions and battle a wave of the disease fueled by the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2.
Milder disease of the variant did not lead to hospitalizations and deaths as in previous waves and authorities in many countries hope that higher immunization rates will avert any major disruptions in the community.
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