WHO leading scientist says there is ‘no evidence at all’ that healthy children and adolescents need a COVID-19 booster

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan — the World Well being Group’s chief scientist — says that there’s zero proof to help the concept that in any other case wholesome youngsters and adolescents want a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

What are the main points?

Throughout a Tuesday media briefing, Swaminathan stated that whereas she believes there’s a sure diploma that vaccine immunity wanes amid the Omicron spike, extra analysis must be carried out round who truly wants booster pictures, reported.

“There is no such thing as a proof proper now that wholesome youngsters or wholesome adolescents want boosters,” Swaminathan stated. “No proof in any respect.”

In accordance with CNBC, Swaminathan stated that the company’s Strategic Advisory Group of Specialists is ready to satisfy later this week to deal with the analysis and take into account how international locations should deal with booster pictures.

“The goal is to guard probably the most weak, to guard these at highest danger of extreme illness and dying, these are our aged inhabitants, immunocompromised with underlying situations, and in addition well being care employees,” Swaminathan stated through the briefing.

Dr. Michael Ryan, govt director of the group’s well being emergencies program, agreed and stated that the company has but to find out what number of doses individuals will must be thought-about totally vaccinated — or vaccinated simply sufficient.

“I feel individuals do have a sure concern on the market that this booster factor goes to be like each two or three months and everybody’s going to must go and get a booster. And I don’t assume we’ve got the reply to that but,” Ryan admitted.

What does the FDA say?

The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration in early January permitted booster pictures for teenagers 12 by 17 years — and at present encourages all youngsters in that age group obtain a booster dose 5 months after their major collection of pictures.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on the time stated, “It’s crucial that we defend our youngsters and youths from COVID-19 an infection and the problems of extreme illness. … We now suggest that each one adolescents aged 12-17 years ought to obtain a booster shot 5 months after their major collection. This booster dose will present optimized safety in opposition to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all dad and mom to maintain their youngsters updated with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine suggestions.”

What else is there to find out about this?

In December, the WHO acknowledged that further doses of vaccines outdoors boosters “could also be wanted as a part of an prolonged major collection for goal populations the place the immune response price following the usual major collection is deemed inadequate.”

“The target of a further dose within the major collection is to reinforce the immune response to ascertain a adequate stage of effectiveness in opposition to illness,” the steering learn on the time. “Particularly, immunocompromised people typically fail to mount a protecting immune response after a regular major collection, but in addition older adults could reply poorly to a regular major collection with some vaccines.”

The group concluded:

Introducing booster doses must be firmly evidence-driven and focused to the inhabitants teams at highest danger of significant illness and people mandatory to guard the well being system. Thus far, the proof signifies a minimal to modest discount of vaccine safety in opposition to extreme illness over the 6 months after the first collection. Waning of effectiveness in opposition to all scientific illness and an infection is extra pronounced. Length of safety in opposition to the Omicron variant could also be altered and is below energetic investigation. Proof on waning vaccine effectiveness, specifically a decline in safety in opposition to extreme illness in high-risk populations, requires the event of vaccination methods optimized for prevention of extreme illness, together with the focused use of booster vaccination.

Supply: TheBlaze