COVID booster

The EU's health and medicine agencies said Monday they were recommending a second booster shot of a Covid vaccine for people over 60 years old, ...

However, the agencies also said at the moment there was no need to give out a second booster “to people below 60 years of age who are not at higher risk severe disease,” or those working in healthcare or in care homes. “This signals the start of a new, widespread Covid-19 wave across the European Union. There are still too many individuals at risk of severe Covid-19 infection whom we need to protect as soon as possible,” Ammon added. “There is no time to lose,” she added in a statement issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency.

A rise in COVID cases has prompted EU health agencies to recommend a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people.

"In the meantime, it is important to consider using currently authorised vaccines as second boosters in people who are most vulnerable," said EMA executive director Emir Cooke. Although they have said those vaccines generated a good immune response against BA.1 and the more recently circulating variants, they did see a lower response against BA.4 and BA.5. "This signals the start of a new, widespread COVID-19 wave across the European Union," she said, adding that giving the over 60s and medically vulnerable a second booster now would avert a significant number of hospitalisations and deaths.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are recommending that second booster doses of COVID-19 ...

Further details about the latest advice on second booster doses is available in the ECDC/EMA joint statement. ‘We expect that adults 60 years and older and medically vulnerable populations will need a second booster dose. Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said that ‘Our COVID-19 vaccines work, and offer good levels of protection against severe illness and hospitalisation. Currently authorised vaccines continue to be highly effective in reducing COVID-19 hospitalisations, severe disease and deaths in the context of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. As a new wave is currently underway in Europe, with increasing rates of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, it is critical that public health authorities now consider people between 60 and 79 as well as vulnerable persons of any age for a second booster. In April 2022, both agencies recommended that people over 80 years of age be considered for a second booster.

European Union health agencies on Monday recommended a second Covid-19 booster for everyone above 60 amid a new rise in infections and hospitalisations ...

Although they have said those vaccines generated a good immune response against BA.1 and the more recently circulating variants, they did see a lower response against BA.4 and BA.5. EU health agencies have since April recommended a second booster only for those older than 80 and the most vulnerable. “It is crucial that everyone above 60 and all vulnerable persons come forth for a second booster dose as quickly as possible,” EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a statement.

The European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Monday that a further shot should be considered for people in ...

European Union health agencies have recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically...

"This signals the start of a new, widespread COVID-19 wave across the European Union," she said, adding that giving the over 60s and medically vulnerable a second booster now would avert a significant number of hospitalisations and deaths. "We are currently seeing increasing COVID-19 case notification rates and an increasing trend in hospital and ICU admissions and occupancy in several countries mainly driven by the BA 5 sublineage of (the) Omicron (coronavirus variant)," said Andrea Ammon, the director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in a statement. European Union health agencies have recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people, amid a new rise in infections and hospitalisations across Europe.

A rise in COVID cases has prompted EU health agencies to recommend a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people.

"This signals the start of a new, widespread COVID-19 wave across the European Union," she said, adding that giving the over 60s and medically vulnerable a second booster now would avert a significant number of hospitalisations and deaths. European Union health agencies have recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people, amid a new rise in infections and hospitalisations across Europe. EU health agencies have since April recommended a second booster only for those older than 80 and the most vulnerable.