Third vaccine dose, Ema: “Sooner or later to be done with a majority population”

The third dose of Covid vaccine should be given to the majority of the population. “Data are continuously emerging that corroborate the fact that the recall, sooner or later – underlines Marco Cavaleri, head of Vaccines and Covid-19 Therapeutic Products of the European Medicines Agency Ema -, should be given to the majority of the population to restore the protection that we initially saw after the primary vaccination “against Covid. “The different Member States are putting in place slightly different campaigns, albeit all with the aim of ensuring that the vulnerable, who are most at risk, are protected with the booster when this risk of breakthrough infections (infections that ‘pierce’ the protection vaccinal, ed.) becomes too high and unacceptable “, observed the expert, highlighting how the situation is constantly evolving and more and more data indicate that the booster, sooner or later, may have to be administered more widely at the level of “Data are beginning to emerge regarding the impact of the ‘Covid vaccine’ booster in real life and signal that the dose booster may restore protection against infection and disease in times of the dominant Delta variant. The booster is expected to return to the original levels of protection, which we see after completion of primary vaccination, including protection from infection which is important to reduce the circulation of this virus “. But is it possible to define exactly when antibodies decline after the second dose and when we are no longer protected? “We are monitoring very closely all the studies that are emerging both on the immunological front and on real-life data – said the expert – And what we see is that the initially rather high protection, particularly with mRna vaccines, in the time tends to decrease especially against infection and mild disease, while protection against severe disease is maintained for a longer period of time and is still quite noticeable overall in the majority of the population. We also observe that antibodies that tend to decay rather quickly over time are driving this reduction in protection “against contagions and mild illness.” But it should be emphasized – Cavaleri pointed out – that protection does not suddenly collapse to zero: there is a continuum in the decrease, but significant protection can be maintained over time. And the booster is expected to restore its initial protection. Now we are learning exactly when this dose booster should be given, first of all to the vulnerable and elderly who due to immunosenescence show a decrease in the level of antibodies faster than younger adults “.