S.were the first in the world to receive the third dose and they will continue to be pioneers with the fourth as well. Israel opens its fourth dose of Covid vaccine to stop the spread of the virus and to protect its citizens from the Omicron variant.
Israel starts with the fourth dose
The administration, dedicated at the moment to the over 60s, ai health workers and at immunosuppressed people, it will be possible starting from next week even without an appointment.
The goal is protect the most fragile population, avoiding too much pressure on hospitals. The decision was made after accepting the recommendation of the Scientific Technical Committee which suggests offering the fourth dose at least four months after the third.
Germany also takes care of it
To move in the same direction is also the Germany which is said to be very inclined towards a fourth vaccination, while admitting that it is not clear how much the booster protects against omicron.
Meanwhile, the government has already booked 80 million doses of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine adapted to the new variant, which will be available from April or May. The infections have been decreasing for days in Germany, fortunately, but there is great fear of the arrival of a possible “massive fifth wave”.
Fourth dose, what doctors and virologists think
“If Israel has made this decision there is a reasoned strategy, but let’s see. For now they are fourth doses only for a specific segment of the population, “he says Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the Policlinico San Martino hospital in Genoa, interviewed by Adnkronos. “Personally, if we have to get vaccinated every 6 months, I don’t find anything wrong with that if this allows you to live more peacefully as it happens today “
Recalling that «today in the ward we see that the Covid prognosis for a positive and a non-immunized vaccine is very different. Everything must be governed by experience and scientific data. The medicine changes, does not remain immutable over time, is constantly evolving. Only the ignorant are amazed at this ».
Andrea Crisanti: worrying
“There fourth dose of anti-Covid vaccine launched in Israel for over 60s and health workers it is worrying“, He says Andrea Crisanti, director of the Department of Molecular Medicine of the University of Padua. And that’s not at all “a good sign” as far as hope is concerned to have a solid and lasting shield against contagion with the third dose.
Also Giorgio Palù, president ofAifa, the Italian drug agency, is not convinced and for the fourth dose of vaccine against Covid-19 would wait to “evaluate the clinical impact of the Omicron variant”.
Also because he adds “there is already the technology to adapt the vaccines to the new variants and it is being discussed whether it is possible to speed up the time for vaccination”.
Roberto Cauda: I would expect an updated vaccine
The infectious disease specialist Roberto Cauda, consultant Ema, the European Medicines Agency for infectious diseases, he is of the idea that “in 2022 we will still have to make a further anti-Covid call”. The hope, however, is that it is with a “updated vaccine, be it protein, Rna or Dna, for the new variants in order to be precisely directed towards this ».
In the absence of this, however, “we do the vaccination anyway and above all the third booster dose because it protects us against severe illness and death in a more than satisfactory way ».
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