(Bloomberg) — A study found that hospital workers who received a fourth dose of Pfizer Inc.’s messenger RNA vaccine were much less likely to get Covid than their peers who received three doses.
Findings published Tuesday in the open access journal of the American Medical Association are the latest to confirm the benefits of a second booster against infections caused by omicron. The study authors noted that an extra dose is a tool to prevent medical staff shortages and support health systems in difficult times.
The research was carried out in Israel, where a rapid launch of the vaccine has provided scientists with real-world data on the vaccine’s effectiveness. The country began offering a second booster to the elderly, healthcare workers and people with weakened immune systems in January.
The US is now considering whether to expand eligibility for second boosters due to the spread of the BA.5 omicron variant.
Doctors, nurses and other health workers who received a fourth mRNA vaccine in January showed a 7% rate of advanced infections. Those with three doses (the third was given in late September) had a 20% infection rate.
Many health workers in Israel opted not to get a fourth dose in January, the scientists said, assuming it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
“The common assumption was that the combination of reduced virulence of the omicron variant and the protection provided by the first three doses of the vaccine did not create any added value for the fourth vaccine,” they wrote. But for medical staff, they argued that difference is important because “quarantining and isolating a large number of health workers can affect the ability of the health system to function.”
Nota Original:
Fourth Pfizer Dose Slashes Risk of Catching Omicron in Study
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