When is it time for the fifth syringe?
It may feel like the pandemic is ending this year. But the covid-19 pandemic is not over, and there is a risk of increased spread of infection in autumn and winter. Therefore, the Swedish Public Health Agency recommends that people over the age of 65 and adults with risk factors should take an additional supplemental dose of vaccine. Risk factors include pregnancy, weakened immune system and heart and lung disease. The regions should be able to start giving the fifth doses in September, is the idea. The oldest are then first in line. It may then be necessary for another dose later in the autumn or winter, it depends on how the pandemic continues.
But what happens to those waiting for their fourth injection?
According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, healthy adults who received their third dose at the beginning of the year still have adequate protection against serious illness and death. However, protection against infection is worse now, which means that you can become infected and become mildly ill with covid-19. But as the spread of infection decreases in society, the Swedish Public Health Agency chooses to postpone the fourth injection to adults who do not belong to any risk group. They will be offered free vaccines this fall. But it will not be a general recommendation as before (unless there is a new virus variant that does it). Instead, everyone is allowed to decide on a booster dose, much like the annual seasonal flu vaccine. Maybe you are approaching 65, or have people who belong to a risk group in your vicinity – and therefore want to increase resistance to the virus. The Swedish Public Health Agency will inform about this in information campaigns during the autumn.
Will the new syringes be updated to omikron?
Yes, it can be. Vaccine manufacturer Pfizer Biontech and the EU have agreed to postpone deliveries of vaccines that would have taken place this summer. Similar discussions are underway with the company Moderna. The EU wants to postpone deliveries for several reasons: firstly, there is a surplus of vaccines in Europe. There are also several studies on the vaccines: studies where the vaccine for the omicron variant has been updated, and studies where the current vaccine is given in a higher dose to see if it provides better protection against mild symptoms. The new studies will probably be completed in July. Any updated vaccine must then be reviewed and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). If the results show that the updated vaccines are better than the current ones (which actually provide good protection), then the goal is for them to start being used already at the beginning of the autumn. In order not to waste time waiting for study results and approval, Pfizer Biontech has already started manufacturing limited quantities of the new vaccines.
Have the recommendations for children changed?
No, when it comes to children, the same recommendations apply as before, ie children aged 12-17 should be vaccinated with two doses to get good protection. According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, the immune system in younger people responds better to the vaccination than in the elderly, and the young people are still considered to have adequate protection after two injections. Therefore, no additional dose is recommended for children. However, as before, some children in special groups are recommended vaccination from the age of five.
Read more: FHM: Extra dose of covid vaccine for people from 65 years