GENEVA | Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend offering a second booster shot to boost their immunity to those most at risk from the COVID-19 virus.
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The WHO Expert Committee on Immunization Policy (SAGE) has stated that an additional injection should be offered to certain groups of people after a first vaccination, which usually consists of two doses, and an already recommended first booster dose.
“We are doing this based on observations of weakened immunity, particularly in the context of Omicron,” WHO chief health adviser Joachim Hornbach told reporters at a news conference.
The WHO has already recommended that all adults receive a booster shot four to six months after an initial series of vaccinations, which also consists of two shots.
However, Alejandro Cravioto stressed that the recommendation to give a second booster shot after another four to six months only applies to the “most exposed population groups”.
It “does not constitute a general recommendation for vaccinating all adults after the first booster dose,” he said.
SAGE believed that a second booster shot should be offered to the elderly, all immunocompromised people, pregnant women, and people with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart, lung, and kidney disease.
Healthcare workers of all ages should also get the extra dose, Mr Cravioto said, stressing the need to “protect our healthcare systems”.
Currently, these recall recommendations relate to available vaccines designed to combat the original strain of COVID-19.
The WHO has said it is evaluating new vaccines being developed by companies like Moderna and Pfizer that target new Omicron variants.