BRUSSELS: The European Union’s infectious diseases agency on Thursday urged countries to step up their primary coronavirus vaccination programs and downplay the need for booster shoots to ward off the delta variant among the general public.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said approved vaccines are “currently highly effective” in limiting the impact of COVID-19. “The priority now should be to vaccinate all eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course,” it added.
After a slow start to Europe’s vaccine campaign, The European Unionexecutive branch of The European Commissionannounced this week that an average of 70 percent of adults in a block of 27 countries are fully vaccinated. But national vaccination rates vary, with Bulgaria and Romania significantly slowing their programs.
On Wednesday, France became the first major European Union country to begin giving booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and with underlying health conditions as the delta version in the country. Spanish health officials are considering similar action.
NS ECDC states that additional shots should be considered for people “with severely weakened immune systems” if the first shots do not adequately protect them, but that “the usual course of action for the administration of booster doses of vaccines” There is no urgent need for fully vaccinated individuals from the population.”
It is common for vaccines to decrease protection over time. For now, vaccines authorized in the European Union and the US continue to provide very strong protection against serious illness and death, but their ability to prevent infection is markedly falling due to a delta increase among nursing home patients and others. Is.
Still, many countries are struggling to deliver the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and World Health Organization Called for a moratorium on boosters and urged governments to donate vaccines to countries in need.
Spain’s board of vaccine experts on Wednesday recommended that a third of the pill be given to people who have weakened immune systems, such as those receiving transplants.
Its national and regional health officials will debate the issue at their weekly pandemic meeting on 8 September.
European Union Commission Spokesman Stefan de Kiersmaeker said Thursday that the block has had enough shots, with scientific evidence suggesting boosters may be needed more widely.
He said Brussels recently concluded a contract with vaccine-maker BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion additional doses from 2021 to 2023, and a second contract with Moderna for 150 million shots for the block, which has a population of approximately 450 million.
“We have taken the necessary measures to be prepared,” de Kiersmacher said.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said approved vaccines are “currently highly effective” in limiting the impact of COVID-19. “The priority now should be to vaccinate all eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course,” it added.
After a slow start to Europe’s vaccine campaign, The European Unionexecutive branch of The European Commissionannounced this week that an average of 70 percent of adults in a block of 27 countries are fully vaccinated. But national vaccination rates vary, with Bulgaria and Romania significantly slowing their programs.
On Wednesday, France became the first major European Union country to begin giving booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and with underlying health conditions as the delta version in the country. Spanish health officials are considering similar action.
NS ECDC states that additional shots should be considered for people “with severely weakened immune systems” if the first shots do not adequately protect them, but that “the usual course of action for the administration of booster doses of vaccines” There is no urgent need for fully vaccinated individuals from the population.”
It is common for vaccines to decrease protection over time. For now, vaccines authorized in the European Union and the US continue to provide very strong protection against serious illness and death, but their ability to prevent infection is markedly falling due to a delta increase among nursing home patients and others. Is.
Still, many countries are struggling to deliver the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and World Health Organization Called for a moratorium on boosters and urged governments to donate vaccines to countries in need.
Spain’s board of vaccine experts on Wednesday recommended that a third of the pill be given to people who have weakened immune systems, such as those receiving transplants.
Its national and regional health officials will debate the issue at their weekly pandemic meeting on 8 September.
European Union Commission Spokesman Stefan de Kiersmaeker said Thursday that the block has had enough shots, with scientific evidence suggesting boosters may be needed more widely.
He said Brussels recently concluded a contract with vaccine-maker BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 billion additional doses from 2021 to 2023, and a second contract with Moderna for 150 million shots for the block, which has a population of approximately 450 million.
“We have taken the necessary measures to be prepared,” de Kiersmacher said.
.