Following the positive recommendation issued this week by the European Medicines Agency (EMA in its acronym in English), the European Comission has authorized this Friday the marketing of the new vaccine adapted against the XBB.1.5 variant of covid19 developed by the BioNTech-Pfizer laboratory. This is the third adapted vaccine that has been approved by the European Union to combat the emerging subvariants of the coronavirus and may be injected into adults, adolescents, and children over six months of age.
“Covid19 will circulate in parallel to the seasonal flu during the next autumn and winter season, and we must be prepared,” recalled the health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides. Brussels has taken advantage of the authorization to recall the greater risk suffered by vulnerable people and to warn of the possible increase in pressure on hospitals and health workers. For this reason, Brussels insists on vaccination as the “most effective tool” against covid 19 and the flu virus. “I encourage all eligible people, especially the most vulnerable, to follow scientific recommendations and get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Kyriakides has recommended.
The decision comes when the number of cases increases again, although for now, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) incidence levels appear to be low and have “limited impact”. In accordance with previous EMA and ECDC recommendations, adults and children aged 5 years and over who require vaccination should receive a single dose, regardless of their coronavirus vaccination history. Children from 6 months to 4 years may receive one or three doses depending on whether they have completed an initial vaccination cycle or have contracted the virus.
“Strong Response”
Both agencies have highlighted the “strong response” of the adapted vaccine against XBB.1.5 and related strains of the virus that causes covid19. Since Ómicron XBB.1.5 is closely related to other currently circulating variants, the vaccine is expected to help maintain optimal protection against COVID-19 caused by these other variants, as well as by Ómicron XBB.1.5.According to the EMA analysis, the side effects They are usually mild and short-lived. They include headache, diarrhoea, joint and muscle pain, tiredness, chills, fever, and pain or swelling at the injection site and “rarely, more serious side effects may occur.”
As usual, the authorization occurs after a rigorous evaluation by the EMA, within the framework of its accelerated evaluation mechanism and the European Commission has also authorized this adapted vaccine through a expedited procedure to allow Member States to prepare in time for their autumn-winter vaccination campaigns. As on previous occasions, it will now be the national authorities of the EU Member States who determine how to use this vaccine in the national vaccination campaigns, taking into account factors such as infection and hospitalization rates, risk to vulnerable people, and vaccine availability. According to Brussels, the modification of the contract with the pharmaceutical company BioNTech-Pfizer signed in May 2023 guarantees that the Member States will continue to have access to vaccines adapted to the new variants.
2023-09-01 08:59:14
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