The WHO Says Boosters Are Not Enough To Fight COVID Variants & We'll Need New Vaccines
They say vaccines need to keep up with the latest variants of 2022.
The WHO is warning that to combat emerging variants, getting multiple COVID-19 booster doses of existing vaccines won't be enough.
Instead, we need to develop new vaccines that are designed to fight the COVID variants of today, according to a statement from the WHO's technical advisory group on COVID and vaccines.
"A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable," the group said.
In other words, repeatedly using the same boosters against different variants just isn't sustainable.
The group, called TAG-CO-VAC, released their recommendations on Tuesday after reviewing Omicron, vaccines and the general state of the pandemic.
They argue that although some countries are recommending booster shots, it's more important to develop vaccines that are designed for the variants we face now. They added that it's also critical to get most of the world vaccinated with a first round of doses.
That second point about vaccine inequality is one that WHO officials have been hammering for weeks.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, has said that we should aim to get 70% of the world's population fully vaccinated by the middle of this year. That's the hump we need to get over to end the pandemic, according to Dr. Tedros.
Vaccine-makers have already said they're working on new versions for the Omicron variant, although they haven't been released yet.
TAG-CO-VAC also put together a wish list for a new vaccine.
They say the next round of vaccines should have a "high impact" on prevention, infection and transmission, while also cutting down on the risk of severe disease and death. They also want vaccines that are based on today's variants, and they want protection to last a lot longer.
They add that a "pan" COVID vaccine would be fantastic, because it would be a "more sustainable long-term option that would effective be variant-proof."
They didn't say how exactly that wish list can be fulfilled.