Following the recommended vaccination course – in the case of the funds from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca, giving two doses of the vaccine – is crucial in order to benefit from the highest possible protection against the virus, the Stockholm-based authority shared with the European on Wednesday Medicines Agency EMA with.
Preliminary evidence suggested that both doses of two-dose vaccines were necessary to get adequate protection from the Delta variant. It calls on EU citizens to get vaccinated and to stick to the recommended number of vaccine doses. In the case of the Johnson & Johnson agent, one syringe is considered sufficient.
The ECDC assumes that the more contagious Delta variant B.1.617.2, which initially appeared in India, will account for 90 percent of all new corona infections in the EU by the end of August. It is therefore essential that the EU states accelerate their vaccination campaigns and close immunity gaps as quickly as possible.
The two authorities also commented on the procedure in several countries to use a different method for the second corona vaccination in certain cases than for the first. There are good scientific reasons to expect this strategy to be safe and effective. In addition, this path could enable the population to be protected more quickly and available vaccination quantities could be better used.
At the moment, the EMA and ECDC are not in a position to make definitive recommendations on the use of different vaccines for the second dose. It is also too early to confirm whether and when an additional booster dose is necessary for corona protection.