The protection provided by the second booster vaccination decreased after just four weeks, as Israeli researchers showed in their study published in the renowned “New England Journal of Medicine” on Tuesday. However, the protection against serious illnesses did not decrease in the six weeks after the vaccination. However, further follow-up studies are needed to assess longer-term protection, the scientists explained.
The study of 1.3 million people over the age of 60 examined data from the Israel Ministry of Health between January 10 and March 2. At this point, the highly contagious omicron variant was predominant. Another study from Israel last month showed that elderly people who received a second booster of the BioNTech vaccine had a 78 percent lower mortality rate than those who only received a booster. Israel has been offering a second booster vaccination since January.
At the end of March, the EU health ministers asked the European Commission to examine a recommendation for a fourth vaccination for all over 60-year-olds. In the United States, the FDA plans to discuss the need for additional booster shots on Wednesday. A week ago, a second booster vaccination for people aged 50 and over with the vaccines from Biontech and Moderna was approved there.
Source: Nachrichten
