What is behind Biden’s booster vaccine program?

The Biden administration’s recommendation that fully vaccinated Americans receive booster shots from September is met by both expert support and skepticism. President Biden said in a statement Wednesday that the current surge in COVID-19 cases is primarily focused on unvaccinated individuals, and that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines remain for serious illness, hospitalization and death. Revealed to provide adequate protection.

However, studies show that the vaccine’s defenses against mild and moderate illnesses are sufficiently weakened that the president’s team will boost from September 20 for those who have been fully vaccinated for eight months. I think we need to make shots available for free. This will make boosters first available to the most vulnerable older people, who have already achieved the highest vaccination rates of all age groups.

“This is the best way to protect yourself from new variants that can occur,” Biden said Wednesday. “Eight months after taking the second shot, all adults plan to get booster shots.”

William Moss, Johns Hopkins Vaccine Science Lead Coronavirus Resource Center Secretary General International Vaccine Access CenterDiscussed the announcement of the government’s proposed strategy and new support and skepticism.

“Some people disagree and think this is a premature step,” Moss said. “However, the government has provided rational discussions based on new data on vaccine efficacy and antibody response, but the plan has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and added by the Immunization Implementation Advisory Board and Center. Subject to immunization recommendations. To prevent disease control. “

To gain more insight, the CRC and Hub worked together for a conversation with Moss on the benefits and challenges of vaccine boosters and how they affect efforts to curb pandemics.

Is this booster announcement a source of pandemic concerns?

I’m a little worried, but there’s some positive news about what they’re saying.

It is important to remember that their data show that the protective effect of the vaccine against severe illness remains very high, even against delta mutants. It may be premature to seek booster immunity given its long-lasting efficacy against severe illness.

However, governments may assume that the reduced efficacy they see for the mild and moderate symptoms may ultimately lead to reduced efficacy for severe illness. .. This is not always the case. Vaccines may maintain long-term efficacy against severe illnesses, even if they are not very effective in preventing mild illnesses that do not require hospitalization. However, the administration may have taken this step with due diligence.

What is the harm if booster doses can improve protection?

There are no safety concerns regarding booster shots. However, this remains an unvaccinated pandemic. That is what has spurred this surge. President Biden said: In Alabama, 90% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated. In Texas that number is 95%.

Vaccination of more people must be our first, second, and third priority.

Some people are concerned that focusing on booster administration can interfere with the work that still needs to be done to get an unvaccinated vaccine. However, the government believes that the dose of booster does not interfere with its mission and that there is sufficient vaccine supply for booster and standard vaccination.

However, in the near future, the demand for vaccines will increase when children aged 5 to 11 years are targeted.

Other arguments for boosters are moral: Global vaccine inequality is a real and pressing issue. The United States has been criticized by World Health Organization officials for saying that high-income countries have the luxury of giving a third shot when most people in the world are not receiving a single dose.Disparities around the world are at the Coronavirus Resource Center International vaccination map..

The government has pointed out that more than 100 million doses of vaccine donated by the country are higher than all other countries combined. However, it is still very small compared to the global need for doses of about 11 billion doses. The United States can and should do more to address these global inequality, and plans are in place to do so through additional donations and investments in manufacturing capacity. increase. I proposed that the United States donate 10 doses to the COVAX facility for each booster dose given here.

What other concerns do you have about starting the booster program now?

For some groups of people, such as nursing home residents and the elderly, it makes sense to use boosters at some point because the immune system weakens with age.

The big question is whether you need a booster now. Do you really need that eight month period? It’s not entirely clear. The time frame is somewhat arbitrary, but it should be based on evidence and circumstances such as risk of infection and severe illness.

I have never experienced the need for booster immunity so early after the primary vaccination series. This is a very short timeline for booster doses.

In addition, as health officials have stated, booster doses can increase antibodies by a factor of 10. But the question remains: how long will it last? How much is the booster dose protected?

I don’t think this is being driven by a strategy to reduce infections. It seems to be driven by strategies to reduce important illnesses. However, the argument has its weaknesses. At this time, there is no evidence that it is significantly less effective against serious illnesses. Vaccine protection against serious illness remains high.

This proposal is based on the observation that some populations appear to be less effective against mild and moderate illnesses. However, it is not clear whether it will lead to reduced efficacy for serious illnesses. For me, that is their main underlying assumption. What they want to do is anticipate it. They said they wanted to be in front of the virus, not behind it. I interpreted it as meaning that they didn’t want to wait until they started seeing more serious illnesses from breakthrough infections. Even if that happens, some may argue that you can wait for that time before deploying the booster. Or if it occurs in a particular population. But maybe it’s too late.