If there is not enough space, SAM will consider buying more freezers, reselling the vaccines or donating them, as they were donated to Taiwan. According to the data of the Department of Statistics on Tuesday, there are currently 749.3 thousand people in Lithuania. unused vaccines.
Another way to use accumulated vaccines is revaccination. As the autumn season approaches, it is increasingly being said that new spreading strains will require a booster dose in just a couple of months – a third dose of the vaccine.
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However, no recommendations from vaccine manufacturers are yet available. Moreover, no one in the world has yet begun such a process. And the experts themselves disagree on whether it is necessary to anticipate the autumn coronavirus wave and start booster vaccinations in advance without waiting for recommendations, or to wait for instructions from vaccine manufacturers.
Stroke: Revaccination should begin in September
National Cancer Institute doctor onimmunologist dr. Marius Strioga considers that the issue of booster vaccination should not be postponed and that preparations for this process should begin as soon as possible. Such proposals dr. Mr Strioga has also submitted to the Government.
Marius Strioga
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“Knowing that there are varieties that need a higher titre to beat antibodies, a booster dose should be given 9 months after the first dose. If not all, then at least people at risk – doctors and people with health problems. I think we should be revaccinated somewhere in September, “said the interlocutor.
According to the doctor, revaccination should be done regardless of the presence of antibodies against coronavirus titro. According to him, the new strains need to ensure the highest possible antibody titre, and we will not harm the immune response or health with a higher titre.
“Perhaps for some, the immune response will be activated too soon, perhaps for another 3 or 6 months, but it is better to make it stronger than to have some people without any protection,” the doctor said.
The interlocutor emphasizes that we can only overcome new strains of coronavirus with the amount of antibodies. With the emergence of new strains, such as delta, vaccines are no longer as effective against mutations in the virus. This means that more antibodies are needed to protect the body enough against the disease.
Then, dr. According to M. Strioga, the more a person has antibodies, the better: “Because of this, I think that there is no need to wait for anything, it is better to anticipate and not put out a fire. All the more so as we will not harm either man or the immune response. “
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As the interviewee said, when boostering, the immune system responds faster and stronger, so it is possible that the side effects will be stronger. Still, that’s just an assumption. Revaccination is unlikely to cause any serious side effects in humans if they were not present during the first vaccination.
Revaccination should only be given with RNA vaccines, ie Moderna or Pfizer. Vector vaccines, according to dr. M. Striogos, are not suitable for booster vaccination because booster vaccination will destroy part of the vaccine itself that was previously given.
“So far no one in the world has tried booster vaccinations, the countries are considering possible scenarios. However, from an immunological point of view, everything is justified, so nothing like that, even if we are the first to start revaccinating people. The Pfizer manager himself hinted that a booster dose would be needed after a while, ”said the oncologist.
Advises to get more data
At that time, she was a professor at the Life Sciences Center of Vilnius University Aurelija Žvirblienė takes a different view. According to her, booster vaccination should not be started arbitrarily without any substantiated data.
“We should wait for the manufacturer’s recommendations. So far, there are no official recommendations, manufacturers have been conducting the tests since the summer of 2020 and they will be looking at the levels of test antibodies 24 months after the end of the clinical trials. Consequently, they have longer-term data than we, who were vaccinated only in January. As a result, one should look at what the manufacturer’s research shows.
Aurelija Žvirblienė
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If the amount of antibodies has dropped, it is necessary to know in which age groups. If we were to think about booster vaccination now, we would be violating the characteristics of the vaccine, its package leaflet, because no manufacturer has given any recommendations, ”said the professor.
According to the professor, some members of the European Commission who work with vaccines believe that countries should have stocks of vaccines if they need them in the fall. However, there are no recommendations for re-vaccination yet.
“There needs to be more evidence that vaccines no longer prevent vaccinated people from becoming seriously ill with coronavirus after a while,” said prof. A. Žvirblienė.
The researcher called for more data to confirm the need for a third dose.
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“There were other issues on the board of experts, such as a single dose of vaccine for people who were sick. I had no doubt about this, I agreed that it was appropriate to vaccinate people who had a single dose. There is already a lot of scientific data on this. This is appropriate and there has been no dispute about it. Also on the dose delay, I agreed that a second dose could be delayed if needed. We know from practice that this can be done. As for booster vaccination, we have nothing to rely on, no manufacturer has provided specific data when it is needed, no country is doing it.
In addition, we do not know whether booster vaccination will require the same dose or half that. Therefore, for the time being, I would not support us being the first in Europe to start booster vaccination, ”said prof. A. Žvirblienė.
Data on booster vaccination, according to the interlocutor, are expected in the next few months, as everyone is very concerned about what the autumn season in Europe will look like.
“We are already talking about another wave because the virus is seasonal. Researchers need to analyze what is happening in the population of sick and vaccinated people, whether new strains are threatening them, or whether they are protected. We are waiting for such data, it is likely that it will appear by the autumn and it will be clearer what to do, ”said the professor.
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