Who and why mistreats the fourth dose
For Fauci Omicron "in the end he will find everyone" and for the WHO in the next two months over 50% of Europeans could be infected by the variant, but in the meantime there is already talk of a fourth dose. Are we sure loop vaccinations are the best strategy? Here are the opinions of Crisanti, Galli, Cavaleri, Pregliasco, Bassetti and Ricciardi
Still struggling with boosters and, in some cases, with the primary vaccination cycle that is already being thought of as the fourth dose, but the front of experts against further administration in the wake of Israel is growing more and more , of Chile .
After the sharp "no" from the World Health Organization (WHO), Andrew Pollard (one of the fathers of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine) and many other members of the scientific community interviewed by the New York Times , also many Italian experts (but not all) find it impractical to vaccinate millions of people every few months.
WHAT CHRISANTS SAID
"You can't vaccinate 50 million people every 4 months." Clear and clear is the position of Professor Andrea Crisanti at half past eight . "The problem is structural, it is linked to the formulation of these vaccines [mRna, ed ] which induce an immunity of 4-5 months".
Speaking of mRna vaccines, such as those from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, Crisanti explained: “If today we had a vaccine capable of inducing an immunity of 2-3 years, today we would not be in this situation. The priority is to produce vaccines that are more durable and affordable even for low-middle-income countries. I don't think the solution to the problem can come from the mRna vaccine that Pfizer or Moderna will produce for the Omicron variant ”.
“This vaccine, compared to others, is objectively not among the best”, however “it is the only one we have against Covid, it protects us and we must do it. But in the long run I see problems in the strategy based on this one type of vaccine ”.
GALLI IS FROM THE CRISANTI TEAM
Professor Massimo Galli is of the same opinion who told Cartabianca : “We are facing a different reality, almost a different virus: we need to readjust the shot. In Israel they are doing the fourth dose, we await the data. But it is not a sustainable strategy to get vaccinated every 3-4 months with the usual vaccine, it is not even a viable strategy ".
“True, the vaccine keeps out of resuscitation and the graveyard. The unvaccinated – continues Galli – represent the lung for the virus and the pressure element for hospitals. One of the things to do is to vaccinate the little ones in a big way ".
THE OPINION OF CAVALERI (EMA)
Also the vaccine manager of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the fourth dose reiterates that "we do not yet have data to express ourselves" and the boosters could be considered "part of an emergency plan, but repeated vaccinations at short intervals they would not represent a sustainable long-term strategy ”.
And on behalf of the EMA he says: “We are quite concerned about a strategy that involves repeated vaccinations in a short period of time. We cannot continue to give booster doses every 3 or 4 months ”.
"Obviously – added Cavaleri – when it comes to vulnerable and immunosuppressed people, it is a different case and for them the fourth dose can be considered already now".
And regarding how the situation is evolving, he declared: "Covid is becoming more endemic, but we cannot yet say that we are in that phase: it still behaves like a pandemic virus".
WHAT PREGLIASCO SAID
For Professor Fabrizio Pregliasco it is not possible that in Italy the fourth dose will be administered four months after the third and at a certain point “one per year will be enough only in fragile and at risk subjects”.
THE OPINION OF BASSETTI
Not every 3-4 months, but according to Professor Matteo Bassetti “we have to get used to, with this virus we have to vaccinate ourselves once or twice a year”. "The vaccination hubs – he told Cartabianca – will have to remain open for a couple of years, people will have to be able to get vaccinated twice a year".
RICCIARDI OUTSIDE THE CHOIR
Walter Ricciardi, consultant to the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, on the other hand, on 27 December told Messaggero : “The three variants of the virus were born in less vigilant countries. Now we need to speed up on the third dose then yes, we will need a fourth, but I would call it a recall. And in any case, we will not leave for a few months, in May or June ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/chi-e-perche-bistratta-la-quarta-dose/ on Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:46:28 +0000.