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This month, several countries have started or will begin giving boosters to people already vaccinated against the coronavirus, with the aim of boosting immunity to the rapidly spreading Delta variant and the transition to a cooler season that is expected to bring more people together inside.
The Czech Republic announced this week that it will offer a booster, starting September 20, to anyone who has ever been vaccinated with a single or double dose. The country has highly recommended boosters for people over 60.
Similar policies were recently announced in Germany and France, which offer reminders for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. And Israel is now offering reminders to people vaccinated as young as 12.
In the United States, the Biden administration has said it plans to offer boosters to most Americans eight months after vaccination, assuming federal regulators allow them. The FDA will hold a public meeting on the matter on September 17.
Despite the wave of recall programs in richer countries, the science of their necessity is not yet clear.
Some studies suggest that the protection offered by vaccines against infections and mild illnesses may weaken. But they are still very effective in preventing the worst consequences, including serious illness and death, and scientists have said a general recommendation for boosters is premature.
Experts generally agree, however, that a third injection is warranted for people with weakened immune systems, who may not have developed a strong immune response to the initial doses. Several countries, including the United States, are now offering additional vaccines to this vulnerable group.
On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency, the EU’s medicines regulatory body, said there was no urgent need to give booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to fully vaccinated people without problems with underlying health, citing a report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Additional doses should be considered for people with weakened immune systems, and as a precaution for the frail elderly, especially those living in nursing homes, the agencies added.
The agency said that at present, the urgency is to complete the vaccination of all those eligible for a normal course of vaccination. The drug regulator continues to assess data on booster injections.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday that a third dose of the vaccine would be offered to people aged 12 and over with severely compromised immune systems “as soon as possible”.
Understanding the mandates of vaccines and masks in the United States
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- Vaccination rules. On August 23, the Food and Drug Administration fully approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, paving the way for increased tenure in the public and private sectors. Private companies increasingly require vaccines for their employees. Such warrants are authorized by law and have been confirmed in court challenges.
- Mask rules. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July recommended that all Americans, regardless of their immunization status, wear masks in indoor public places in areas affected by epidemics, a reversal of guidelines it offered in May. . See where the CDC guidelines would apply and where states have instituted their own mask policies. The battle for masks has become controversial in some states, with some local leaders defying state bans.
- College and universities. More than 400 colleges and universities require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Almost all of them are in states that voted for President Biden.
- Schools. California and New York City have both introduced vaccination mandates for education staff. A survey released in August found that many American parents of school-aged children are opposed to mandatory vaccines for students, but were more in favor of mask mandates for students, teachers and staff who don’t. don’t have their vaccines.
- Hospitals and medical centers. Many hospitals and major health systems are requiring their employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, citing an increase in the number of cases fueled by the Delta variant and stubbornly low vaccination rates in their communities, even within their hand -work.
- New York City. Proof of vaccination is required from workers and customers for indoor meals, gyms, shows and other indoor situations, although enforcement does not begin until September 13. Teachers and other education workers in the city’s vast school system will need to have at least one vaccine dose by September 27, with no possibility of weekly testing. Employees of the city’s hospitals must also get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests. Similar rules are in place for New York State employees.
- At the federal level. The Pentagon has announced it will seek to make coronavirus vaccination mandatory for the nation’s 1.3 million active-duty soldiers “no later than” mid-September. President Biden announced that all federal civilian employees should be vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel.
“I am determined to ensure that we do all we can to protect people in this group and a third dose will help achieve this,” Javid said in a statement.
But the decision by some countries to give booster shots to healthy vaccinated people – when many countries have fledgling vaccination programs – has raised ethical questions.
At the beginning of August, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, called for a moratorium on recalls of coronavirus vaccines until the end of September, and for an “urgent reversal” of the supply worldwide in vaccines which had mainly disappeared. to richer nations, leaving low-income countries vulnerable.
WHO officials have been careful to distinguish between booster injections used to boost immunity in vaccinated populations and additional doses that may be needed by immunocompromised to develop immunity in the first place.
Dr Tedros reiterated this point on Wednesday.
“A third dose may be needed for populations most at risk where there is evidence of decreased immunity to serious illness and death, such as the very small group of immunocompromised people who have not responded sufficiently. at their initial doses or which no longer produce antibodies. , he said at a press conference. “But at this time, we don’t want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated.”
Emilie Anthès, Monika pronczuk and Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reports.
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