On August 15, the United Kingdom authorized the use of a two-pronged, or “bivalent”, vaccine, along with first-generation mRNA vaccines, in the country’s autumnal booster programme. .
This leaves the British with one reinforcement option, but the situation outside the kingdom is different.
The BA.4 and BA.5 variants are now dominant in the United States and Europe. As a result, US regulators said they intend to bypass vaccines for BA.1 and instead authorize COVID-19 vaccines – expected to be available this fall – which include protein sequences from BA.4 and BA.5.
Laboratory data shows that BA.1 bivalent vaccines stimulate the production of antibodies that can “neutralize” the virus – that is, prevent it from infecting host cells.
These data indicate that incorporation of BA.1 sequences enhances Omicron neutralization by approximately twofold, but it is unclear how much, if any, additional protection against disease this would result.
Vaccine neutralization data for BA.4 and BA.5 are not expected until around mid-September.
In countries such as the United States, people who were eligible for a booster in the summer were discussing the option of taking a booster dose of the original vaccine or waiting a few more months for a version containing the elevated Omicron protein.
And transfer the site of the magazine Nature Many doctors say the decision should be personal, and people should take into account whether they are at risk of serious disease, the rate of infection in their community and how well they can protect themselves.
It also depends on how long you have to wait to get the Omicron vaccine, according to the doctors who spoke to the site.
However, others argue that there is still a need to delay a booster dose by several weeks in order to receive a new vaccine that has not been shown to offer a significant advantage over older vaccines.
One study found that the response to vaccination was weaker in people who had high levels of antibodies before getting the vaccine compared to people who had lower levels of antibodies before vaccination.
How much is “too much” of booster potions?
As long as reinforcers are reasonably spaced, there is really no such thing as “too much” of reinforcers, according to the site, but from a public health standpoint, focusing on promoting everyone can shift attention and resources away from the people who need it most. Enhancers, namely those over the age of 50, and people with pre-existing health conditions.
Enhancers can significantly reduce the risk of serious disease for these groups. But for younger people without risk factors, the benefits of a booster are less clear, but it is possible that someone who was boosted shortly before infection might fight off the virus faster — and cause fewer infections in their community.