World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its statement regarding the criteria for updated vaccines for new COVID-19 variants. The reasoning behind this is the current ones address the ancestral strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has mutated. However, the WHO review of variant-updated vaccines does not suggest we have to do anything yet.
No Need For Variant Updated Vaccines Yet
World Health Organization confirms current COVID vaccines continue to counter severe disease, and death across all known virus variants. Therefore, continuing with primary and secondary booster doses remains top priority. However, that said there has been ‘a rapid decline of the protection against symptomatic illness’.
Therefore, WHO says we need to assess whether variant-updated COVID-19 vaccines would improve the situation. These should ideally bring greater protection against severe disease and death, including future variants.
The WHO review notes a number of variant-updated COVID vaccines are already under development. They will be reviewing these and may update their policy at a later stage, after three-phase trials confirm the extent of their immune response.
No Need to Adapt WHO Policy at This Point
World Health Organization notes how vaccinations and infections have introduced a measure of herd immunity worldwide. Therefore, any new variant-updated vaccines may only be appropriate for more vulnerable populations.
Furthermore to that, WHO is concerned a new vaccine set ‘may add complexity and costs to vaccine programs’. Managing new vaccines and boosters simultaneously could complicate supply chain planning, safety monitoring, individual status, and communication with stakeholders, they say.
World Health Organization will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds, and take appropriate action. They point out that additional doses of current vaccines boost immunity responses in priority groups.
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