The World Health Organization's Dr. Michael J. Ryan, who serves as the agency's Health Emergencies Programme executive director, was at a WHO COVID virtual press conference on December 1 when he questioned the logic behind producing more booster vaccines to inoculate those aged 18 and above. He argued that right now, there's "no evidence" to show that the booster shots provide "greater protection" to otherwise healthy people.
"There are others here who can better answer than me regarding the benefits of a booster regarding other variants but, right now, there is no evidence that I'm aware of that would suggest that boosting the entire population is going to necessarily provide any greater protection for otherwise healthy individuals against hospitalisation or death," Dr. Ryan said, as seen in the transcript provided by the WHO.
"The real risk of severe disease, hospitalisation and death lies in particularly at risk and vulnerable individuals who do require protection against all variants of COVID-19."
WHO's Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, agreed with Dr. Ryan. She argued that some countries are taking a "precautionary principle" of ordering booster shots for its citizens "because they have adequate supplies and they are just doing it." Dr. Swaminathan underscored however, that "There isn't a whole lot of evidence that everybody over the age of 18 or, for that matter, above any age is going to benefit from this."
Dr. Swaminathan said that WHO needs comprehensive data from different countries on different vaccines and demographics and populations to show "a comprehensive view on when boosters are going to be needed, which subgroups of people they're going to be most useful in and which vaccines should, indeed, be used."
According to The Epoch Times, the U.K. announced that it had secured up to 114 million vaccine doses to be given out to citizens aged 18 and above through 2022 and 2023. In the U.S., President Joe Biden encouraged Americans aged 18 and above to get a booster shot in the face of the spreading Omicron variant that has been detected in five states so far.
The Omicron variant is believed to have mutated in South Africa, but its presence was also recorded in Europe. South African health officials said that those who contracted the Omicron variant are exhibiting "extremely mild" symptoms. Meanwhile, some countries including Israel are requiring its citizens to get the booster shot to ensure their "fully vaccinated" status.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance also "further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID" in the midst of the spread of the Omicron variant.
According to CNET, the booster shots of the COVID vaccines are "half doses of the same vaccine used in the first two full shots." The objective for booster shots is to "top up" the vaccine formula that reinforces the body's immune response to the coronavirus. In the U.S. the CDC has approved a 50-microgram dose of the Moderna vaccine to serve as a booster shot. The first two shots were 100 micrograms each. The company is currently working on a "combination shot" that contains this year's flu vaccine and a COVID booster vaccine and is also working on a COVID vaccine that will specifically target the Omicron variant.
