When more than 70% of the European population is already fully vaccinated, more and more countries decide to administer a third dose of anticovid in immunosuppressed people, such as cancer patients, on dialysis, or with HIV. The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) says in its report that countries should consider this third dose for people with weaker immune systems, such as patients with transplanted organs or elderly people in residences. In addition, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is in turn analyzing the data on this possibility.
The ECDC and the WHO insist that before the rest of the world should reach at least 10% of vaccinated
After publishing the report, many countries in the European Union have already followed the recommendation. Among them, Spain, which last week began to give the third dose to the elderly who live in residences, as well as to people who have been immunosuppressed since the beginning of the month. Most of the Twenty-seven have followed the same path, even getting ahead of themselves.
It was one of the first countries to decide to apply it. In July, the Ministry of Health requested it, and the authorities gave the green light to apply a third dose from the end of August. Initially, it is only considered for the elderly and people with fragile immune systems.
In early August the authorities recommended immunizing elderly, vulnerable and / or immunosuppressed people. It will also only be with messenger RNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna).
Portugal
Despite the fact that the authorities of the neighboring country had initially announced that they wanted to wait, finally and, after the recommendation of the ECDC, they began to immunize vulnerable people, such as cancer patients or HIV-positive patients, since last week.
Italy
Its vaccination campaign began this week with patients with immunodeficiency, in addition, it will be extended to people over 80 years of age, who live in residences and health personnel.
These countries are also joined by Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Finland, Slovenia, who have also started to administer doses to immunosuppressed and / or elderly people or will soon start your campaigns.
But what about a third dose for the general population? This question generates much more controversy, especially since the impact of vaccines “in the real world” – and not in the laboratory – is still being analyzed, since just nine months have passed since the covid vaccine began to be administered.
At the moment, the only country in the European Union that has already made progress that will administer a third dose to its general population is Hungary. Slovakia takes a very similar route, which has advanced that once it immunizes its most fragile population, as well as the elderly, it will also extend it to its entire population.
According to the ECDC, “more robust data” are needed: How long immunity lasts according to different age groups, according to risk groups, what type of vaccine has been administered, the interval between doses, or even how vaccines act in the face of new ones variants. Likewise, the risks and benefits must be analyzed: if it helps protect against moderate to severe cases, how it affects people with persistent covid or if it is useful to reduce transmission.
Furthermore, “special consideration should be given to the current world shortage of vaccines, which could be made even worse if booster doses are administered to the general population.”
The director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for “a moratorium” until December, precisely so that they have enough time for countries with medium and low resources to advance in their vaccination campaign, at least to be able to reach 10%.
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