WHO does not recommend booster doses of Covid at this time, citing lack of data

The World Health Organization does not recommend booster shots of Covid-19 “at this time,” the group’s top vaccine doctor said on Wednesday, citing a lack of data on their effectiveness.

Dr Kate O’Brien, director of immunization, vaccines and biologics at WHO, said the organization is still investigating whether a booster is needed to increase protection against highly contagious mutations in the coronavirus.

Executives at Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, which make the three Covid vaccines authorized in the United States, have all said Americans may need a booster after their first round of vaccinations. Pfizer plans to submit its request to U.S. regulators for a booster dose in August, the company said on Wednesday.

“We’re very clear on this, there isn’t enough information to provide a recommendation at this point,” O’Brien said in a question-and-answer interview posted to the social media accounts of the organization. “Again, this is a very hot topic, and a lot of research is underway to be able to provide an evidence-based recommendation,” O’Brien said.

If the WHO approves a recall, O’Brien said it would likely only be for certain groups of recipients, such as the elderly or people with other conditions that make them vulnerable to serious illness. She added that the WHO is also evaluating the advisability of approving the booster injections “product by product, because not all products are exactly the same”.

O’Brien said the WHO was studying the durability of vaccines, that is, how long they last, as well as their effectiveness against different variants before recommending a booster.