Older people should take a booster against Covid within 1 year – 03/28/2023 – Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has adapted its Covid-19 vaccination recommendations for a new phase of the pandemic, suggesting that healthy children and adolescents may not necessarily need an extra dose, but older and high-risk groups should receive a booster between 6 to 12 months after the last vaccine.

The UN agency (United Nations) said the aim is to focus efforts on vaccinating those who face the greatest threat of serious illness and death from Covid, considering the high level of immunity of the population worldwide due to widespread infection and vaccination. .

The health agency defined high-risk populations as older adults, as well as younger people with other significant risk factors. For this group, the agency recommends an additional shot of the vaccine 6 or 12 months after the last dose, based on factors such as age and immunocompromised conditions.

Another group that makes up the agency’s review is of medium risk, which includes healthy people between 50 and 60 years old and children and adolescents with comorbidities. For these, even if there is safety in the application of more doses of boosters, the indication is for an additional application. Gains with more doses, continues WHO, does not deliver significant benefit to public health.

The last group, categorized as low risk, corresponds to healthy children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. They have “low priority” for extra Covid vaccinations, and the organization has urged countries to consider factors such as disease burden before recommending booster vaccinations for this group. It added that Covid vaccines and boosters are safe for all ages, but the recommendations take into account other factors such as cost-effectiveness.

The organization said in September last year that the end of the pandemic was near. On Tuesday, the agency said its latest advice reflects the current status of the disease and global immunity levels, but should not be seen as long-term guidance on the need for annual boosters.

The recommendations come as countries take different approaches. Some high-income countries, such as the UK and Canada, are already offering high-risk people Covid boosters six months after their last dose.

In Brazil, the model of additional doses is also somewhat different. For priority groups, such as people over 60 years old, immunosuppressed and pregnant women, it is possible to reach up to the third booster with the bivalent model. In addition, the minimum interval period between a new dose is four months, different from the six recommended by the WHO.

The committee also called for urgent efforts to advance delayed routine vaccinations during the pandemic and warned of the rise in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.