the Council of orientation of the vaccine strategy rejects the idea of ​​a generalization of the fourth dose

The Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council rejected the idea of ​​a generalization of the fourth dose of vaccine against Covid-19, in an opinion delivered on January 19 to the Minister of Health and published on Wednesday January 26. “The Council considers that the available data do not currently call for the implementation of a second booster vaccine”, explains the notice. However, there is an exception for “severely immunocompromised people, for whom the Council has already recommended the systematic injection of a second booster dose”.

For the moment, according to this opinion, the benefit of this fourth dose has not been proven and putting it in place could even constitute a bad signal, suggesting that the third dose is no longer enough. There is, according to the opinion, “no significant individual benefit” at this fourth injection. Even if he recognizes the question “legitimate”, the Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council considers at the same time that there is no reason, in the current situation, to go through this because if the vaccine protects less and less well against infection over time, nothing proves that we are less well protected against serious forms.

The Council’s point of view “may evolve according to the publication of new scientific data”, specifies the opinion, but also if the number of elderly people hospitalized increases significantly in the days and weeks to come.