WHO confirms data points to vaccines offering 6-month immunity

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that the review of information and scientific data related to the duration of immunity offered by vaccines against COVID-19 indicates that it extends up to six months after receiving the second inoculation (or the single dose in the case of Jenssen vaccine).

“We have reviewed the available data and most show that immunity lasts up to six months”said the director of the Department of Immunization of the WHO, Kate O’Brien, in a press conference.

The group that advises the WHO On immunization issues, he issued today the conclusions of the data analysis he has carried out in the last two days, but pointed out that it is too early to comment on the new omicron variant and how it responds to vaccines.

The advisory group formally recommended that countries act flexibly when planning the next phases of their vaccination programs to contain the pandemic, which last week alone caused 4.1 million new confirmed infections and 52,000 deaths worldwide.

That flexibility consists of being able to immunize people with the first dose of one vaccine and the second dose of another, which will allow countries that do not have vaccine stocks to face the problem of unpredictable supply.

On the other hand, many countries have up to four vaccines in their immunization plans against the COVID-19 and being able to combine them will prevent some of that inventory from expiring and being lost, O’Brien said.

However, experts consider that whenever possible the doses of the same product are given.

Vaccines that have been licensed by the WHO and most regulators that are considered an international benchmark offer “Robust protection for at least six months against severe forms of the disease, although a certain decrease (in efficacy) against severe conditions has been observed, especially in older adults and people with underlying diseases”, detailed the president of the group, Alejandro Cravioto.

For that reason, the instance of scientists indicated that it maintains its recommendation that only booster doses be offered to those vulnerable groups, as well as to health workers, in particular if they received inactivated virus vaccines, which corresponds to the technology used in the vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical companies Sinovac and Sinopharm.

These vaccines, which are on the emergency use list of the WHOThey have been widely administered in many developing countries, including Latin America.

In that case, health personnel “should receive the reinforcement as soon as possible,” Cravioto said.

Reserving the third doses to the highest risk groups would allow poor countries, where vaccination rates are very low, to receive the vaccines they need, the organization defends.

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