Is a fourth dose necessary for people over 65 years of age, as proposed by Pfizer?

More than two years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. In this 2022, the number of infections and deaths from the disease have been reduced, which for experts means a new stage.

The virus has been combated through vaccines from different pharmaceutical companies, for example, Pfizer. After the application of millions of doses of this biological, Albert Bourla, director of the company, stated that a new reinforcement would be required.

Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted a request to the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize a fourth booster dose of their coronavirus vaccine for people over 65 years of age.

Immunity against new variants

“A fourth puncture is necessary. The protection obtained with the third vaccine is good enough, (…) but it does not last long with the arrival of new variants”, Bourla said, in a chat with the US network ‘CBS’.

Although the executive highlighted that the applications to date have been effective in preventing numerous deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19, he emphasized that Over the months variants are developed, such as Ómicron, with

“We’re sending that data to the FDA and then we’ll see what experts outside of Pfizer will say.” concluded.

For now, the discussion of a fourth dose of the vaccine will take place in the United States. As Bourla mentioned, it will be the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English) in charge of analyzing the issue.

“Right now we need to be very well coordinated so that we can all provide the American people and the world with an i”, precise.

Likewise, the director of Pfizer announced that his vaccine could be available for children under five years of age in the coming weeks if the US health authorities approve it.

What does the WHO say about the doses of the vaccine?

The World Health Organization (WHO) clarifies, on its official website, that until February 2022 “We are still learning how long the protection from COVID-19 vaccines lasts.”

The authority does not specify exactly how many doses would be needed; he has only called on people to give themselves a booster dose.

According to your data, “Vaccines approved, either by the WHO or by a strict national regulatory agency, are highly effective for and hospitalization for Delta and Omicron variants, as well as other variants of concern.”

Despite this, countries like Denmark, France, Israel, Chile and Argentina already apply the fourth dose for the population with the highest risk, for example, adults over 80 years of age.

In Colombia, the issue has not taken on greater importance, since Carlos Álvarez, delegated infectologist of the WHO in Colombia, said that it was “premature” to speak of a fourth dose.

“It is possible that in the next eight weeks we will have much more accurate information that can help us make decisions about a fourth dose, if necessary, in a certain population, in the entire population or in no one,” commented in a chat with the news agency ‘Colprensa’.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health told El Comercio that, for the moment, the fourth doses are aimed only at the immunosuppressed population and that the objective at this time is for people to have the third dose.

With information from El Tiempo