U.S. is mulling shift to annual COVID-19 boosters. What about Canada?
Global News
A U.S. proposal to move to annual COVID-19 boosters could increase uptake if a similar policy were adopted in Canada, but it may be too early to make such a move, some experts say.
A U.S. proposal to make COVID-19 vaccinations an annual shot could increase booster uptake if a similar policy were adopted in Canada, but it may be too early to make such a move, according to some health experts.
SARS‑CoV‑2 has yet to move into predictable or seasonal patterns of infection, and immunity gained from the virus — whether through vaccination or illness — wanes over time, according to numerous scientific studies.
This makes the question of how often COVID-19 vaccinations should be repeated a challenging one to answer, Dr. Joachim Hombach, executive secretary of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), said during a briefing earlier this week.
“I don’t think we have, for the time being, definitive answers,” he said.
“We all want to come to simplified vaccination recommendations and also vaccination recommendations that we can plan ahead … but we still live with very significant uncertainties.”
On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked its scientific advisors to consider simplifying COVID-19 vaccination to encourage most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the virus.
Under this proposal, Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or how many months it’s been since their last booster.
Following a meeting on Thursday, the advisory panel mostly agreed with the FDA’s annual booster proposal, however, there was some debate about whether certain populations should get two doses a year.