Fourth Covid Shots Recommended Only for Those 80 and Over in EU

(Bloomberg) -- European public-health authorities said a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine should be kept to adults age 80 and older for now, saying there's no clear evidence to support an immediate booster for younger people. 

The agencies didn't rule out a fourth dose in the future for healthy people ages 60 to 79 and will keep monitoring the pandemic for signs that policy should change. There's no sign that vaccine protection against severe illness has dropped substantially in that age group in the European Union, officials said.

“As re-vaccination campaigns could start in the autumn, authorities will consider the best timing for additional doses, possibly taking advantage of updated vaccines,” the European Medicines Agency and European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday. National authorities have leeway to make their own decisions about whether to give another round of shots to high-risk people. 

The move comes as countries around the world consider whether another dose of vaccine is needed, and for whom. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized an additional booster dose for adults 50 and older last month. In Israel, which started offering a fourth dose at the beginning of January, a study showed the extra shot improved protection against infection and severe illness. 

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