The European Union regulators warn frequent COVID-booster shots could adversely affect the immune system and may not be feasible.
According to the European Medicine Agency repeating the booster shots every four-month can weaken the immune response and might tire out people. In its report, the agency advised countries to leave more time between boosters and synchronize them with cold-season onsets in each hemisphere, following the blueprint set out by influenza vaccination strategies.
Earlier this month, Israel become the first country to administer a second booster shot over people above 60. Like Israel, some countries favor offering people second booster shots to provide further protection against surging omicron infection. However, the U.K. seconds the thought and said that a single dose is providing a good level of protection and people need not go for the second one.
During the briefing, the EU regulator also noted that oral and intravenous antivirals like Paxlovid and Remdesivir remain effective against Omicron. Considering it takes about three to four months to develop a vaccine targeting a specific variant, the FDA said it could approve a new vaccine soonest by April.
