French scientific authorities are studying the hypothesis of a fourth dose of anti-Covid vaccine for the elderly, even if this question is “premature” for the time being, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
“In the other European countries, we are all roughly at the same stage on these questions, awaiting a position from the scientific authorities,” the ministry said during a meeting with journalists.
At the forefront of this issue, Israel began on January 3 to inject a fourth dose to people aged 60 and over, in the midst of an outbreak of contaminations linked to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“The fourth dose, it is still under discussion, it is still too premature to comment on the subject. We will do as the scientific authorities tell us to do, ”continued the ministry, which will notably await the opinion of the COSV (Guidance Council for the Vaccine Strategy (COSV) and the High Authority for Health (HAS).
In France, faced with the decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against infection over time, the possibility of a booster dose (most often a third dose) was opened in September to over 65s and people with comorbidities. It was then gradually extended to over 18s.
At this stage, minors are not affected by this third dose, except teenagers aged 12 to 17 who suffer from co-morbidities. The HAS is considering the possibility of extending the recall to all 12-17 year olds.