It is not clear how we will live in the fall: Expert opinions on the third dose of COVID-19 vary widely

If there is not enough space, SAM will consider purchasing more freezers, reselling the vaccines, or donating them as they were donated to Taiwan. According to data from the Department of Statistics on Tuesday, there are currently 749.3 thousand people in Lithuania. unused vaccines.

Another way to use the accumulated vaccines is the booster vaccination. As the fall season approaches, it is increasingly said that new strains will require a booster dose in just a couple of months – a third dose.

However, recommendations from vaccine manufacturers are not yet available. Furthermore, no one in the world has started that process yet. And experts themselves disagree on whether it is necessary to anticipate the fall coronavirus wave and start booster shots early without waiting for recommendations, or waiting for instructions from vaccine manufacturers.

Stroke: revaccination should start in September

Oncologist doctor of the National Cancer Institute dr. Marius Strioga believes that the issue of booster vaccination should not be postponed and that preparations for this process should begin as soon as possible. Such proposals dr. Mr. Strioga has also presented himself to the Government.

“Knowing that there are strains that require a higher antibody titer to overcome, a booster dose should be given 9 months after the first dose. If not all, at least the people at risk: doctors and people with health problems. I think we should get vaccinated somewhere in September, “said the interlocutor.

According to your doctor, revaccination should be done regardless of your current coronavirus antibody titer. According to him, new strains must guarantee the highest possible antibody titer, and we will not harm the immune response or health with a higher titer.

“Perhaps for some, the immune response will be activated prematurely, perhaps for another 3 or 6 months, but it is better to strengthen it than to have some people without protection,” said the doctor.

The interlocutor emphasizes that we can only overcome new strains of coronavirus with the amount of antibodies. With the emergence of new strains like delta, vaccines no longer work as well against viral mutations. This means that more antibodies are needed to protect the body against disease.

So, dr. According to M. Strioga, the more antibodies a person has, the better: “Therefore, I think there is no need to wait for anything, it is better to anticipate and not put out a fire. The more so since we will not harm man or the immune response. “

As the interviewee said, when it is strengthened, the immune system responds faster and stronger, so it is possible that the side effects are stronger. Still, that’s just a guess. Revaccination is unlikely to cause serious side effects in humans if they were not present during the first vaccination.

Revaccination should only be administered with RNA vaccines, i.e. Moderna or Pfizer. Vector vaccines, according to dr. M. Striogos, is not suitable for the booster vaccination because the booster vaccine will destroy part of the vaccine itself that was previously administered.

“Until now no one in the world has tried revaccination, countries are considering possible scenarios. However, from an immunological point of view, everything is justified, so none of that, even if we are the first to start revaccinating people. The Pfizer manager himself hinted that a booster dose would be needed after a while, ”said the oncologist.

Advises to obtain more data

At that time, Professor Aurelija Žvirblienė from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center has a different opinion. According to her, the booster vaccination should not be arbitrarily started without any verified data.

“We should wait for the manufacturer’s recommendations. As of now, there are no official recommendations, manufacturers have been conducting testing since Summer 2020 and will be looking at test antibody levels 24 months after the end of clinical trials. They have longer-term data than we, who were vaccinated only in January. As a result, one must look at what the manufacturer’s research shows.

If the amount of antibodies has decreased, it is necessary to know in which age groups. If we thought about the booster vaccine now, we would be violating the characteristics of the vaccine, its package insert, because no manufacturer has given any recommendation, “said the professor.

According to the professor, some members of the European Commission who work with vaccines believe that countries should have stocks of vaccines if they need them in the fall. However, there are still no recommendations for revaccination.

“There needs to be more evidence that vaccines no longer prevent vaccinated people from getting seriously ill from coronavirus after a while,” said prof. A. Žvirblienė.

The researcher asked for more data to confirm the need for a third dose.

“There were other issues at the expert meeting, like a single dose of vaccine for sick people. I had no doubts about it, I agreed that it was appropriate to vaccinate people who had only one dose. There is already a lot of scientific data on this. This is appropriate and there have been no disputes about it. Also on delaying the dose, I agreed that a second dose could be delayed if necessary. We know from practice that this can be done. When it comes to booster vaccination, we have nothing to rely on, no manufacturer has provided specific data when necessary, no country is doing so.

Also, we don’t know if the booster shot will require the same dose or half. Therefore, for the moment, I would not support us being the first in Europe to start the booster vaccination, ”said prof. A. Žvirblienė.

Data on booster vaccines, according to the interlocutor, are expected in the coming months, as everyone is very concerned about what the autumn season will be like in Europe.

“We are talking about another wave because the virus is seasonal. Researchers must analyze what is happening in the population of sick and vaccinated people, if new strains threaten them or if they are protected. We are waiting for these data, it is likely that they will appear in autumn and it will be clearer what to do, ”said the teacher.