The World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for high, medium and low-risk groups. The updated roadmap reflects the current Omicron stage of the pandemic and countries’ high population immunity levels. The new recommendations prioritize vaccines for those at greatest risk of death and severe disease.
Revised Recommendations And Focus On Priority Groups
According to the new guidance, high-priority groups such as older people, immunocompromised individuals, front-line health workers and pregnant people should receive additional booster doses. Medium-risk groups should receive primary vaccinations and the first booster doses, but routine additional boosters are not recommended. Healthy children six months to 17 years old should be considered for vaccination based on factors such as disease burden and cost-effectiveness.
Healthy Kids Considered Low Priority May Not Need A Shot
The guidance states that healthy kids and teenagers considered low priority may not need to get a shot. Vaccinating healthy children and adolescents has a lower public health impact than traditional essential vaccines. Experts advise countries to focus their efforts elsewhere given the low burden of disease in that age group.
Strong Efforts Needed To Reduce Inequities And Reach High-Priority Groups
Efforts are needed to reduce inequities and reach high-priority groups to close coverage gaps. The immunization programs around the world must be strengthened and restored to prevent the spread of other vaccine-preventable diseases. Children also need to catch up on routine vaccines they missed during the pandemic.
Revised Roadmap Based On Risk And Cost-Effectiveness
The revised roadmap considers vaccine performance, cost-effectiveness, programmatic factors and community acceptance. The roadmap outlines three priority-use groups for COVID-19 vaccination: high, medium and low, based on risk of severe disease and death.
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group Of Experts On Immunization (SAGE) Issues New Guidance On Covid-19 Booster Shots
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) also issued new guidance on COVID-19 booster shots. The vaccines are deemed safe and effective for healthy children and teens up to the age of 17, but countries are advised to focus their efforts elsewhere given the low burden of disease in that age group.
Analysts Expect A Drop In Vaccine Sales For Pfizer And Moderna
The guidance points to dropping global demand for COVID-19 vaccines in the coming years, affecting leading vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna. Analysts expect Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine sales to drop to $6.5 billion in 2024 from $18.4 billion in 2022, and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine sales to drop to $12.1 billion in 2024 from $37.8 billion in 2022.
WHO Officials Express Skepticism Over Bivalent Vaccines
WHO officials also express skepticism over the advantages of bivalent vaccines and minimal evidence showing that they are more effective than monovalent vaccines, which specifically target COVID-19’s original strain.
Conclusion
The WHO’s revised roadmap for prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination is a significant step towards reducing the spread of the virus and protecting those at highest risk of severe disease and death. The guidance acknowledges that countries need to focus their efforts on vaccine coverage for priority groups while strengthening their immunization programs against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
