There is not enough evidence yet to recommend booster shots for other groups who are fully immunized, especially when vaccine availability if limited and many in our region still have not received their first shot.
These individuals need an additional dose to be protected from severe disease and the risk of dying from COVID-19, and their vaccination cannot be considered complete until they have received their third shot 💉
@Jarbas_Barbosa #COVID19
2️⃣ And people over the age of 60 who received an inactivated virus vaccine such as Sinovac or Sinopharm.
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1️⃣ People who are immunocompromised, regardless of which vaccine they took. These include cancer patients, HIV positive individuals, people taking some medicines like corticoids, and transplant recipients.
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This staged approach lays the best foundation for countries to reduce circulation of the virus 🦠 and eventually get their economies and societies back on track.
✅ The second is how to determine who needs an extra dose.
Currently, we recommend providing an additional dose to only two groups:
We have no evidence at this time that vaccinating students should be a prerequisite for reopening schools 🏫
Once those at greatest risk are protected, the next step is to immunize 💉 a high percentage of the adult population.
Only afterwards should countries consider vaccinating younger groups 👧🏻🧒🏽
This recommendation by SAGE, an independent committee which advises @WHO and PAHO, is based on the most robust evidence available.
✳️ When vaccine availability is low, it is best to protect the most vulnerable first.
@Jarbas_Barbosa #COVID19
PAHO urges countries to prioritize the elderly 👴🏽👵🏿, frontline workers👩🏻⚕️👨🏾⚕️, and people with pre-existing conditions – to protect them, but also to prevent health systems from becoming overburdened with severe cases.
@Jarbas_Barbosa #COVID19
