The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said Friday that the European Union is “ready” for the possibility of giving the population a third injection of the vaccine against Covid-19 from Pfizer/Biontech, which was proposed by the manufacturers. , Stella Kyriakidis.
“We are already ready in case of need, at the European level and for a common strategy” for the procurement and distribution of vaccines, the commissioner stated during a press conference in Madrid, together with the Spanish Minister of Health, Carolina Daria.
“We are working constantly, but the decision on this issue will come from science,” explained Stella Kyriakides.
He added that his team is “constantly working with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention (ECDC) to adopt a position in the coming weeks or months.”
Despite the progress of the vaccination campaign in the European Union (65% of citizens received the first dose and 47% of the two doses), the Cypriot commissioner warned: Europe is “in a very fragile situation, due to the increase in cases observed in many member states, by following the delta variable”.
“This is not the time to relax,” he insisted.
On Thursday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they would provide “encouraging results for a third dose of the current vaccine” to regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe.
The two companies believed that a third dose could boost antibody levels against the virus and also against the highly contagious delta variant.
North American hill He published an article that noted that some scientists have warned that vaccine makers are finding financial incentives to develop booster drugs and that the government invests in more doses. And that US health officials have determined that it is not clear that a booster vaccine is needed.
Anthony Fauci, the US government’s leading infectious disease expert, confirmed Thursday that two injections of the Pfizer and Moderne vaccines protect even against the delta variant.
However, Pfizer indicated data about the results of the vaccine in Israel.
“As we have seen in the factual data published by the Israeli Ministry of Health, the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing infection and symptomatic diseases decreased six months after vaccination, although the effectiveness in preventing serious diseases remains high,” Lefizer said.
“Based on the data that (Israel) has to date, Pfizer and BioNTech believe that a third dose may be beneficial within six to 12 months after the second dose to maintain the highest levels of protection,” the companies, which are co-producers of this vaccine, said.
Pfizer also indicated that it is preparing to begin clinical trials in August of a modified vaccine, specifically targeting the delta variant, if needed.
However, at the same time, the company needed the third dose of the original vaccine to be the best option.
Following Pfizer’s announcement, the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a joint statement reducing the need for a booster dose.
“Fully vaccinated Americans do not need a booster vaccine at this time,” the agencies said, adding that they are participating in a “rigorous science-based process to determine if a new dose is needed.”
The agencies once again emphasized that current vaccination regimens are effective. The agencies stressed that “fully vaccinated people are protected from serious disease and death, including variants currently prevalent in the country, such as Delta.”
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