“We will be able to open for those who wish this second booster dose to people aged 60 and over, at 6 months after the last vaccinationannounced Olivier Véran, this Thursday morning at the microphone of RTL. A second booster vaccination is known to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 80%. And this responds to a request from our fellow citizens who find that the virus is circulating a lot and who would be (thus) reassured”, he explained.
“It’s an opening. There is no question of an obligation”, further indicated the Minister.
Appointments are open today and vaccination can be carried out in a vaccination center, in a pharmacy, an office or at home, specifies the Ministry of Health.
Until now, the second booster dose was only recommended for people under 80 years old.
“France has decided to extend access to the second booster dose of vaccine against Covid-19 to people aged 60 to 79, with or without comorbidity, informs the press release from the Ministry of Health, this April 7. The opening of the second booster dose to this new segment of the population aims to protect people aged 60 and over against severe forms of the disease.Indeed, the immunity conferred by the first booster gradually decreases over time.”
The immunity conferred by the first booster decreases over time
On March 18, the HAS had indeed recommended the opening of the second booster vaccination to those over 65, justifying that the latest French epidemiological data available showed that people aged 65 are most at risk of developing a severe form of the disease and dying : “as of March 10, 2022, the over 60s thus represented 80% of patients hospitalized with Covid-19”, underlined the HAS, in a press release.
In addition, the real-life efficacy data in France transmitted by the Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) published on March 18 confirms that people who received a booster dose are better protected than those who only received a primary seriesagainst infection, conventional and critical care hospitalizations or even against hospital deaths.
At the same time, according to the HAS, “these data and those from the United States and the United Kingdom also show that the protection conferred by the booster dose begins to decrease after 3 months in people aged 60 and over.
4th dose (or second booster dose): for whom? when ?
- The second reminder is already possible since March 14, 2022 for people aged 80 and over as well as for residents of nursing homes and long-term care units (USLD), i.e. 4.1 million French people. They can make an appointment three months after their last injection.
- The people severely immunocompromised can benefit from it since January 28, 2022.
- The elderly of 60 to 79 years can receive their second booster dose from April 7, from 6 months after the first booster injection or from 6 months after the last infection.
With which vaccine? The Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council recommends the use mRNA vaccines (Pfizer classic dose or Moderna half dose), regardless of the vaccine received for the previous injection.
Is the second booster dose necessary in case of infection after the 1st booster?
For people who have been infected with Covid-19 after their first reminder:
– If the infection occurred more than 3 months after the first booster, a second reminder is not necessary.
– If the infection occurred less than 3 months after the first booster, a second booster is necessary. You should then wait at least 6 months after the infection before receiving your second booster.
Towards a 4th dose for all?
With regard to younger populations, not at risk, a 4th dose of vaccine is not indicated at this stage, by any authority.
Remember again that the COSV recommends not to include this second booster in the vaccination pass. “However, for reasons of traceability, it would be wise to include this second booster dose in TousAntiCovid”, he nuances.
Sources:
- People 60 and over can now take a second booster dose, Ministry of Health, April 7, 2022.
- Covid-19: a second reminder reserved for those most at risk, HAS, March 18, 2022.
- Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council, February 18, 2022.
- Interview Arnaud Fontanet, France Inter, March 14, 2022.
- Interview Jean Castex at Le Parisien, March 12, 2022.
- Ministry of Health press conference, January 25, 2022.
- Opportunity to implement a second booster dose, Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council, opinion of January 19, 2022.
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