Posted on 01/08/22
| News Source: i24
'There is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, though this will continue to be reviewed'
British government advisers on Friday recommended against giving a fourth dose of Covid vaccine to the elderly, citing data showing that a third shot offers lasting protection against serious illness.
According to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises on vaccine policy, the authorities should focus on giving a third dose to as many people as possible to boost protection against the highly contagious omicron strand.
“The current data show the booster dose is continuing to provide high levels of protection against severe disease, even for the most vulnerable older age groups,” said Prof. Wei Shen Lim, the committee’s chair. “For this reason, the committee has concluded there is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, though this will continue to be reviewed.’’
This is despite some countries, including Israel, began offering fourth Covid shots to curb the omicron variant that is driving rising numbers of infections around the globe.
In the UK, over 35 million boosters and third doses were administered so far.