Focus on first shots, not boosters: EU diseases agency

The EU diseases agency has minimized the importance of booster shots. Meanwhile, African officials have taken steps to prevent the vaccines produced on the continent to Europe.

On Thursday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that all of the vaccines approved for use in the EU have been proven to be “highly effective” in reducing the severity and spread of COVID-19, and that governments should prioritizes continuing their first-round vaccine programs over possible booster shots.

“The priority now should be to vaccinate all those eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course,” the organization said.

The European Commission stated that 70% of adults in the 27-nation EU are completely vaccinated. However, there is still concern that some countries, particularly Bulgaria and Romania, are going much more slowly than others.

The WHO stance on COVID-19 vaccine booster doses

WHO Europe rejected a claim made earlier this month by the World Health Organization (WHO) that statistics did not justify the use of COVID-19 booster doses.

“A third dose of vaccine is not a luxury booster (that is) taken away from someone who is still waiting for a first jab. It’s basically a way to keep the most vulnerable safe,” Kluge told the press briefing.

“We have to be a little bit careful with the booster shot, because there is not yet enough evidence,” he added.

“But more and more studies show that a third dose keeps vulnerable people safe, and this is done by more and more countries in our region,” he said.

Some European countries have already started the process of booster shots to the most vulnerable, following reports that the vaccine loses some of its effectiveness after a few months.