Healthy children and teenagers may no longer need vaccines against Corona, the World Health Organization announced on Tuesday, as part of updating its guidelines as the world adapts to life alongside the virus.
The organization’s statement, which is intended to be a revised road map of vaccination procedures in the new phase of the epidemic, states that adults and those in risk groups – including those with underlying diseases – should continue to receive booster doses every six months to a year.
“Countries should consider their individual context in deciding whether to continue vaccinating low-risk groups, such as healthy young people, without compromising on the routine vaccines that are so essential to the health and well-being of this age group,” says Hanna Neuheink, chair of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Expert Group on Vaccines global health.
The directive was issued at a time when the scope of giving booster doses around the world, from China to the US, is rapidly decreasing. Only 16 percent of Americans went to receive the last dose of the vaccine, aimed at protection against the Omicron strain. A decrease in vaccination will have financial consequences for the vaccine manufacturers – including Pfizer and Moderna – But it may also raise concerns among public health experts who say new vaccines are still the best way to protect against the coronavirus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends that everyone six months of age and older continue to be vaccinated whenever updated doses are launched. The gap between that advice and the new WHO protocol could confuse the public, says Prof. Stanley Perlman, a microbiologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa. “It will add to the uncertainty of those who are not sure that they trust the health system. The message of the health organizations must be uniform and very clear.”
The CDC spokesperson said that decisions regarding health policy can be difficult in the face of limited resources and alternative costs, and these times require “compromises”. The agency added that the updated WHO recommendations give countries more flexibility.
The vaccine companies expect to launch a new booster dose for Corona this fall – a good opportunity for health policy makers in the US to reexamine their guidelines. Prof. William Schaffner from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine predicts “that a big debate will flare up around the matter”.