The High Authority for Health (HAS) recommended Thursday, November 25 that the recall of the vaccine against Covid-19 be made from the age of 18, five months after the complete vaccination, in an opinion issued just before new announcements of the government.
Read alsoThird dose, health pass, tests, mask: the measures that the executive should announce this Thursday
This recommendation probably foreshadows what will be announced by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran at 12:30 pm, while France is affected by a fifth wave of the epidemic described as "
dazzling
" by the government. In an opinion delivered only six days earlier, Friday, the HAS recommended that the booster dose be made from the age of 40, 6 months after the last injection.
But she decided to lower these deadlines because the "
resumption of the epidemic
" is "
even stronger than expected
", she explains in her new opinion.
It "
considers that the worrying epidemic context justifies an acceleration of the vaccination campaign by shortening the time between primary vaccination and booster dose
", justifies the HAS, whose role is to inspire government policy on these issues.
Projections of the Institut Pasteur
It “
therefore recommends that the administration of a booster dose can now be carried out as early as 5 months after the primary vaccination and that the booster campaign can be extended from now on to people aged 18 and over
”.
Read alsoCovid-19: why is there a fifth wave when we are overwhelmingly vaccinated?
The HAS is based in particular on projections from the Institut Pasteur, which assess the reduction in the peak of hospitalizations if the booster dose is administered from the age of 18.
According to the HAS, this reduction is 39% if the booster is done 6 months after the last injection, and goes to 50% if the booster is done at 5 months.
The HAS ensures that the validity of this strategy is also illustrated by "
data from real life studies carried out in Israel
".
Beyond the reminder, "
it is essential to continue efforts to vaccinate people not yet vaccinated
", underlines the HAS.
Finally, it insists on “
strengthening adherence to barrier gestures at a high level
”, in order to “
preserve the healthcare system and avoid restrictive measures
”.
