From Reuters:
“Britain to give third
COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunosuppressed”
Britain will give severely
immunosuppressed people a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to increase their
chances of generating a better immune response, although officials stressed the
offer was separate from any broader booster vaccine programme. With the move,
Britain follows the United States, which last month authorised a third dose of
COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N)-BioNTech and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O)
for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker
protection from two-dose regimens. read more Public Health England on Wednesday
said the decision to offer third doses to the immunosuppressed followed data
that showed 40% of immunosuppressed people generated only low levels of
antibodies from two vaccine shots.
However, officials stressed the
third dose was not a "booster" dose as it would be administered as
part of the primary vaccination schedule and aimed at helping the initial
process of generating an immune response. "We want people with severely
suppressed immune systems to have the best chance of gaining protection from
COVID-19 via vaccination," said Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19
Immunisation for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The
JCVI's final advice on the broader booster programme for the elderly and
vulnerable is expected soon. The committee previously said it could start this
month. read more Third doses will be given to people with immunosuppressive
conditions such as HIV/AIDS, and those who have received immunosuppressive
treatments like chemotherapy. The move will impact less than 1% of the
population, around 400-500,000 people. Officials said mRNA vaccines made by
Pfizer and Moderna should be used as the third dose, as there was more data on
these shots, but AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) vaccine could be added later if the data
supported the move. The government said it accepted the JCVI's advice. "The
NHS (National Health Service) will contact people as soon as possible to
discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose where
clinically appropriate," health minister Sajid Javid said. "This is
not the start of the booster programme – we are continuing to plan for this to
begin in September."
^ It seems that many countries
will start offering Boosters/3rd Doses. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.