The fourth dose of the anti-Covid vaccine is underway: who should get it and when
The fourth dose of the anti-Covid vaccine is underway
The fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine begins today, April 12. But not for the entire population: the chosen categories are the over 80, frail patients aged 60 and over and guests of the Rsa. Following the pronouncement of the European Medicines Agency (Ema) and Ecdc, this was reported by the Ministry of Health, the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa), the Higher Institute of Health (Iss) and the Higher Council of Health ( Css), which in a note released the indications on the administration of the second booster dose, or second booster.Which vaccines are used? Who should take the fourth dose? When to do it? Fourth dose for everyone? What vaccines are used? To begin with, what vaccine will be given? According to what is reported in the circular, the vaccines will always be those with mRna, therefore Pfizer and Moderna, regardless of which one is received for both the first and second dose, and for the third, or booster dose. The authorized dosages, the experts specify, are 30 mcg in 0.3mL for Pfizer and 50 mcg in 0.25 mL for Moderna. As was the case for the third dose or first booster, therefore, the vaccines are exclusively those with low dose mRna.
Who should do the fourth dose? The second booster dose is intended for the over 80s, for guests in residential care facilities for the elderly, and for frail patients aged 60 or over who are suffering from concomitant / pre-existing pathologies, including for example respiratory, cardiac, neurological diseases. , hepatic, cerebrovascular, disability, diabetes, Down syndrome and severe obesity.
As the experts underline, however, the priority is to promote the administration of the fourth dose "in all subjects with marked impairment of the immune response, for causes related to the underlying disease or pharmacological treatments and to subjects subjected to to solid organ transplantation ". In addition, for these latter patients, the second booster “should be considered equivalent to a booster dose, consisting of the primary vaccination course of three doses”.
When to do it? The time interval between the third and fourth dose must be at least four months. "It is recommended to administer a second booster dose - reads the note - as long as a minimum interval of at least 120 days has elapsed from the first booster dose". To date, however, the fourth dose will not apply to anyone who has contracted the coronavirus infection after the first booster dose has been given.
Fourth dose for everyone? As for the general population, as we have told you in recent days, there is still no definitive answer as to whether the coverage of previous doses decreases against serious diseases and that therefore the second booster can further protect those with an immune system. healthy.
From the EMA and the ECDC, however, they let it be known that the decisions taken are preliminary and in continuous evolution, as is the progress of the pandemic and the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus: only with monitoring over time, as data on the effectiveness of the first booster increase and new scientific evidence becomes available, it will be decided whether to extend the fourth dose to the general population as well. Perhaps, the experts speculate, from this autumn: as the health minister Roberto Speranza told La Stampa, “now our health authorities have ordered the second recall, the so-called fourth dose, for eighty-year-olds, guests of the RSA and frail elderly. In the autumn we will evaluate a more extensive recall also for the other age groups ".
Covid: the phase of the fourth dose of the vaccine is underway
The determination of the Italian Medicines Agency on the so-called fourth dose (second booster) of the anti-Covid vaccine is applicable from today. The document was published yesterday in the Official Journal and therefore enters into force today.
The Aifa determines on 'Insertion of the indication 'second booster dose' of the medicines' Comirnaty 'and' Spikevax 'in the list of medicines '' provides that' the medicines Comirnaty and Spikevax are included in the list of medicines for use as second booster dose, at least four months after the first booster, for people aged 80 or over, for guests in residential homes for the elderly, and for people aged between 60 and 80 who have specific risk factors for progression to severe Covid-19 '.
(Unioneonline / ss)
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