PAHO: Jury out on COVID-19 booster shot

Medical experts are working to determine whether emerging scientific evidence will support recommendations in some countries for the administration of a third shot of the COVID- 19 vaccine, also known as a booster, the Pan America Health Organisation (PAHO) said Wednesday.

But Barbadian authorities say a booster at this stage would be “icing on the cake” when they are still trying to raise the level of vaccinated people from just over one-third of the population.

PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne told a digital briefing on Wednesday that the experts are conducting studies, clinical trials, and collecting data. She said it was imperative that data on vaccine boosters be analysed “to allow us to make the proper recommendations”.

A booster is intended to further fortify the immune system against any virus for which it was initially administered.

Dr Etienne emphasized that such proposals may differ for each vaccine and for specific groups of people, such as those who are immunocompromised and the elderly.

The authorities here have already indicated that booster shots are not on the cards just yet since a large number of the population is still to be vaccinated Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George told Barbados TODAY with vaccines in short supply, the focus must be on ensuring that every Barbadian has the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.

“Boosters are like icing on the cake and the challenge is that first world countries are able to use boosters in their population because they have an excess vaccine supply, but with respect to Barbados I wouldn’t like us to go down this route, not just yet, when we have persons who are still to be vaccinated,” he said in an interview earlier this week.

Dr Etienne said after reviewing data and scientific evidence currently available, PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Vaccines and the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) recommended that the highest priority be placed on rapidly expanding vaccinations to cover vulnerable groups that can develop severe forms of COVID-19, noting that “this measure will reduce hospitalisations and death”.

“After accomplishing this goal, countries need to guarantee access to vaccines to achieve the high immunization coverage, about 80 per cent or even more, which is the estimated coverage necessary to control the transmission,” the director added.

“So, for this reason, the urgent need to have equitable access to vaccines is an ethical imperative and it is the best of the health responses to this threat.”

Noting that less than 25 per cent of populations in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and that, in some territories, the figure is less than five per cent, Dr. Etienne stressed that “our countries urgently need COVID-19 vaccines”.

PAHO has launched a fresh drive for donation. “We are working to draw the attention of developed countries to the urgent need to donate vaccines to Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition, the health agency is using its Revolving Fund to procure vaccines for member states. Already PAHO has received requests from 24 countries for COVID-19 vaccines, which will be available in the final quarter of this year and 2022.

On Wednesday, Barbados received its latest batch of vaccines, 30,000 doses of AstraZeneca from the Canadian government.
Currently, 35 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. (SD)