The Member States could pave the way for a second booster dose against Covid-19 for susceptible individuals. This was announced by Olivier Véran, the French Minister for Solidarity and Health, at the end of the meeting of European health ministers on Tuesday 29 March in Brussels. Several EU countries have expressed a desire to make coordinated progress on this issue.
This second booster dose would be offered to the most vulnerable populations, including adults over 60.
Policymakers now have more robust scientific evidence, including from Israel, that a second booster dose could boost immunity that may have waned over time.
The French Presidency of the EU Council sees the possibility of a consensus on the issue. Some Member States could join a coordinated framework for this booster dose. This is the wish expressed by the Italian minister, Roberto Speranza.
The EU Council therefore asks the European Commission to work on coordination and consultation between Member States, with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency, so that the EU27 can develop a common position on the subject.
“Next week would be best”, said Olivier Véran.
This announcement comes in the context of the ministers’ discussion on the improving health situation in Europe. For Mr Véran, this changes the environment in which the European vaccine strategy is being deployed, particularly with regard to vaccine supply and donation. It will require more flexibility on the part of vaccine suppliers to consolidate what Mr Véran called a major success story of the European health union.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called for vigilance, stressing that the Covid-19 pandemic is still active. In particular, she drew attention to the combination of a ‘plateau’ reached for vaccinations and the lifting of health restrictions. As a result, the number of infections is increasing in the EU.
But, Mrs Kyriakides said, 100,000 people are not fully or incompletely vaccinated. She stressed the importance of vaccination in the European strategy against Covid-19 in order to be ready for the coming autumn and winter.
The European Commission and the EU Council call for continued vaccination efforts by Member States. This urgency has increased with the arrival of refugees from Ukraine, where the vaccination rate is lower than in the EU. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)