Booster shot for over 60s, vulnerable groups

With around 56.7% of Greece’s population fully vaccinated, health authorities have recommended that groups at high risk of infection, such as people over 60, the elderly in care units, as well as those at high risk of infection. healthcare professionals receive a third reminder. dose of their coronavirus vaccine.

However, Marios Themistokleous, general secretary in charge of vaccinations, said the third shot will not be mandatory, announcing that the relevant platform for making an appointment will open on September 30.

In addition, the president of the National Immunization Committee, Maria Theodoridou, said the third dose will be given six to eight months after the second injection.

“Vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and death,” she said as health officials race against time to increase the percentage of people vaccinated to 70% in a bid to bolster a wider range of people. immunity to the virus.

“Antibodies as an indicator of the immune response decrease over time, five to six months after vaccination,” she said, noting that this consideration, combined with the emergence of the Delta variant, poses ” a risk for a certain number of individuals “.

People at risk, she noted, are those who did not develop antibodies during their first vaccination (immunocompromised individuals, transplants), and therefore the booster has the character of an additional dose.

The second group of individuals at risk are those for whom factors such as age and other (underlying diseases) lead to a reduction in antibodies, while the third group is made up of those most exposed to the virus. .

“The National Committee first gave a positive opinion for the immunocompromised,” she said, noting that the elderly in care units and those over 60 are next on the list. She also stressed that “the increased risk in people over 60 is reflected in the epidemiological data”. Specifically, “the percentage age distribution of patients aged 60 to 79 in special intensive care beds reached 59.02% and 48% of deaths, respectively.”

“We see a significant burden at this age,” she said, adding, “The over 60 group has the criteria to show they need strengthening with a third dose.”

Regarding the possibility of giving a booster to the general population, she argued that data from relevant studies are awaited before decisions are made.