Norwegian and Portuguese authorities have confirmed that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots will soon be available to people over the age of 65.
Health Minister Bent Høie said on Tuesday that Norwegians who received the second dose would begin the third dose in late October or early November.
Hoeie emphasizes that this third shot is a re-dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for this purpose earlier this week.
Portuguese Health Secretary Antonio Sales said late Monday that the government would extend the COVID-19 booster shot to everyone over the age of 65 from mid-October. He said boost immunization could only be given 6 months after people received the second dose.
The third dose is first given to a group of the most vulnerable people in the country, such as long-term care residents and people over the age of 80.
The country of Southern Europe, which has the highest immunization rate in the world and 85% of the total population is completely jabbed, last month to give additional COVID-19 shots to people over the age of 16 with a weakened immune system. have started.
In Norway, more than 90% of citizens over the age of 18 are first vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and according to the Institute of Public Health, about 85% of adults are fully vaccinated.
In the Nordic countries, vaccines manufactured by BioNTech, Pfizer and Moderna were used for nationwide deployment. This includes anyone over the age of 12 since September.
Boostershot recommendations were announced on Monday when the EMA approved a booster for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine called Comirnaty for people over the age of 18.
Health agencies have also confirmed that at least 28 days after the second injection, people with significantly weakened immune systems will be regained a third dose of Comirnaty or Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, but the wider population There are boosters left to member states to decide whether or not to do so.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Gebreez also said there was no scientific data to prove that shots were needed and urged wealthy countries not to use the booster effect this year.
An international group of vaccine experts, including Food and Drug Administration and WHO staff, also previously stated that there is no evidence to suggest that the general public needs COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
Reuters contributed to this report.
from NTD News
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