Most people under 50 do not need 4 doses of Covid-19 vaccine yet

The CDC advisory group believes that the 4th dose is not necessary for most people under 50 years of age reuters

During a meeting on April 20, the CDC advisory group said that booster shots should focus on the goal of prevention Covid-19 disease aggravate or cause death, not prevent infection Coronavirus new strain.

This means that people at high risk of severe illness should consider getting the fourth shot, and most of the rest should wait for the next version of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to Bloomberg News on April 21.

According to a group of experts, the US currently uses booster shots Moderna and joint venture Pfizer/BioNTech. However, these vaccines are no longer highly effective in preventing infection with newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 as the BA.2 sub-series of the Omicron variant.

“With current vaccines, we should not chase the distant hope that these vaccines can prevent the risk of infection,” said Sarah Long, a professor at Drexel University.

The conclusions drawn from the CDC advisory committee meeting were similar to the recommendations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory group made in April.

Now federal health officials are seeking advice on how to make the booster campaign more effective, instead of pursuing the current approach of having to get a booster shot every few months.

As of April 19, the United States has given injections of four doses to about 1.1 million Americans aged 50-64, and 3.2 million people 65 years of age and older. The CDC on April 20 suggested that only the 4th dose be administered to subjects such as those with underlying medical conditions and those who are susceptible to Covid-19 for occupational reasons. In addition, some members of the advisory group are considering whether people with Covid-19 who have had enough vaccines or have recovered from the disease should get an additional shot.

The debate is taking place at a time when states and companies across the US have lifted most of the epidemic prevention measures, the latest of which is not wearing masks on public transport.

The FDA is expected to meet again this summer to discuss the possibility of a Covid-19 booster shot in the fall or winter in response to a wave of infections later in the year.

“We should find a way to make a better vaccine,” said Lynn Bahta, a vaccine consultant with the Minnesota Department of Health.