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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
February 02, 2023
The High Authority for Health would consider setting up an annual booster vaccine against Covid-19. What should we think ? Who is concerned ? Let’s take stock with Dr. Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
With less than 5,000 positive cases at the end of January, the Covid figures have rarely been so low. A reassuring situation, which does not prevent the High Authority for Health (HAS) from thinking about better prevention. For more than a year, she has also been considering setting up an “additional booster dose”.
One annual dose following the flu schedule
According to information from Parisianthis “annual” booster dose will follow the same pattern as the flu.
“Personally, I think we will go for an annual vaccination for populations at risk“, confides to the Parisian, Stéphane Paul, immunologist at the CHU of Saint-Étienne.
Clearly, this dose concerned the over 60s, young adults with comorbidities, pregnant women and individuals living alongside immunocompromised or vulnerable people.
If the idea seems relevant, in fact, it could promote the risk of “vaccine fatigue” of the French, already tired of previous injections. The targeting of vaccination would therefore take on its full meaning here. Only the French really concerned would benefit from this recall.
“If this booster dose is part of an interesting risk-benefit balance, why not. Nevertheless, only the most fragile should be concerned, as is the case for the flu“, says Dr. Kierzek, before adding “We must also ask ourselves the question of the real virulence of the virus. If the coronavirus becomes benign in the most fragile, vaccinating them would not make sense. From a public health point of view, it is therefore necessary to question the real seriousness of the disease.“.
Towards a double vaccine?
Another avenue envisaged by the High Authority for Health: combining the flu and Covid-19 vaccines.
Several laboratories, including Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are already working on it, according to information from Le Parisien.
In the meantime, double vaccination, which can be done in pharmacies on request, “presents no danger“ recalls the HAS.
“Long-standing experience in vaccination shows that the co-administration of several vaccines is not dangerous for the immune system“, she concludes.