Reacción a "Reaction to the EMA and ECDC announcement on the desirability of waiting with fourth doses"

The EMA and ECDC announcement indicates that it is too early to decide whether a fourth dose of the current vaccines is beneficial. Their recommendation is based on current evidence, which indicates that the population (including the most vulnerable people) is protected against severe disease including that caused by omicron.

Studies on a possible fourth dose so far indicate that, although the level of antibodies rises with the fourth dose, protection against omicron infection will decrease in the same way as it does after the third dose, and there is little additional benefit in terms of increased protection against severe disease.

Therefore, the EMA and ECDC leave open the possibility that only the most vulnerable population (over 80 years of age) should be re-vaccinated at a later stage as a matter of prudence. They make it very clear that this would not apply to the general population, which is already sufficiently protected with the current doses.

One point not addressed in today's announcement is the desirability of the vaccines being upgraded to be more effective against ichthyosis. The vaccine companies were developing these more targeted vaccines which, if ready and approved, would in my view be a better alternative for that potential fourth dose for vulnerable people.