The Vaccine Conference discusses whether or not to approve a new booster dose for that age group, a decision that has generated divisions among the autonomous communities
The presentation of the vaccine of the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health System (SNS) It is debated these days whether a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine should be approved or not for people over the age of 80. A new sting that some communities, such as Andalusia, defend e others, like MadridThey demand that it be subjected to scientific scrutiny. Those who guarantee that these most vulnerable patients, starting with those who live there residences, take a new dose are the geriatricians. So he indicates THE NEWSPAPER OF SPAINnewspaper that belongs to the same group as this medium, Dr. Lizzeth Canchucajaof the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SEGG).
Canchucaja, a member of the scientific society’s working group on vaccines, stresses that the fourth dose is recommended “because the elderly living in residences are the most vulnerable group” and precautionary measures must be extreme. The doctor, geriatrician of the Parc de Salut Mar Forum Center, to Barcelonabelieves that the candidates would be those over 80 who are already present five months have passed from the last booster dose. He points out that a decrease in the efficacy of the vaccine in patients has been observed with the omcron variant which were in the corresponding model.
In Spain, that dose of souvenirs, which in countries like Germany, France or Israel it is already administered to the elderly and health personnel – it was approved last January by the lawyer the Public Health Commissionin which the autonomous communities and the Ministry of Healthfor immunosuppressed patients or with diseases that reduce the immune system.
A group that includes, among others, people from very high risksuch as those with cystic fibrosis, hematopoietic stem cell transplantationtransplant of solid organ It’s inside solid organ transplant waiting list, lung, kidney, pancreas, heart, liver or intestinal transplant. The same section includes dialysis patients of varying degrees, oncohematological diseases and various types of cancer patients with or without chemotherapy, as well as various cases of HIV, immunodeficiencies people with Down syndrome older than 40 years.
Too early for the general population
In early April, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC, for its acronym in English) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA, for its acronym in English) have insisted that “it is too early” to consider using a fourth dose of the vaccines against the covid-19 in the general population. However, both agencies agreed that such an injection (or a second booster dose) can be given. to adults aged 80 and over.
In Spain the debate continues. Is that new sting necessary for those over 80? Two questions arise. One, its vulnerability. two, why the incidence data of the last few days have worsened and experts already warn that, although at the health level the data are good – there is no significant volume of hospitalizations – hospital admissions of the elderly, over 65 or 70 years old, are increasing.
With the data of this Friday, April 29, the epidemiological curve of the coronavirus again shows signs of progress ten days after the revocation of the use of masks, with an increase in the incidence among the over 60s, up to 676.43 cases (68 points more in a week) and a growth in transmission that was parallel to a slight increase in hospital employment, mainly on the floor, which exceeds 5%. With same-day percentages, the total number of people vaccinated with the full program in our country it is more than 39 million.
Consensus point with the Ministry
With these figures there are already communities that, like Andalusia -who says he does not understand the government’s refusal to the community to administer this new cessation to the elderly- they hoped to have reached “a point of consensus” on this issue within the Interterritorial Council held last Wednesday. However, finally, the matter was postponed and, on that same day, they gave the green light Ministry and autonomous communities went to the approval of the Cardiovascular Health Strategy. So the approval for the older ones who get a new puncture is postponed for the time being.
In Madrid, his Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz-Escuderoasked Friday to take into account the scientific criteria when agreeing on the administration of that fourth dose and recalled that in the age group of people over 80 who received a booster dose It has been shown that the risk of hospitalization grows by 24% six months after being vaccinated e about 40% at nine months.
“Let’s talk about adults, the most vulnerable people, especially in residences, where there is a lot of co-morbidities. Therefore, considering that the fourth dose is a step. Indeed, work is already underway on a second generation of vaccines that will provide protection for longer. We keep talking of a new virus and everything is a process“, notes Dr. Lizzeth Canchucaja.
Also, spokesperson for SEGG He adds that protection was expected to decrease in those people who received the vaccine five months ago. The good news, he says, is that at the moment “it does not translate into hospitalization and mortality and this helps us to make certain decisions“.
