(Geneva) An expert panel convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it “strongly supports urgent and wide access” to booster doses, amid the global spread of the Omicron variant .
Posted at 11:29
Last year, the WHO insisted that these third doses were not necessary and were contributing to vaccine inequity around the world.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN agency said its expert panel had concluded that vaccination against COVID-19 offered high levels of protection against serious illness and death, while the Omicron variant, extremely contagious, continues to spread around the world.
The WHO said in January that booster doses were recommended once countries had sufficient supplies and after protecting the most vulnerable populations. The agency said vaccination, including booster doses, was especially important for people at risk of developing serious illness.
Last year, as dozens of countries embarked on third-dose campaigns, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a moratorium. He then asserted that the rich countries should rather immediately give these doses to the poor countries.
WHO scientists said at the time that they would continue to assess incoming data. However, many scientific studies have since proven that booster doses help restore waning immunity and protect against severe symptoms of COVID-19.
Recall programs in wealthy countries, including the UK, Canada and the US, have been credited with preventing spikes in Omicron infections from spreading to hospitals and increasing the death toll. dead.
The WHO said it continues to monitor the global spread of Omicron, including a “stealth” version, known as BA.2, which has been documented to have reinfected some people after an initial episode of ‘Omicron. Research is inconclusive on whether this BA.2 strain causes more severe disease than the “original Omicron”, but vaccines appear to be just as effective against it.
The WHO also recalls that the vaccines currently authorized are all based on the strain which was first detected in Wuhan, China, more than two years ago.
“Since then, there has been continuous and substantial evolution of the virus and it is likely that this evolution will continue, leading to the emergence of new variants,” the agency said. The WHO adds that vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will likely need to be updated.