Booster or additional vaccination doses in patients vaccinated against COVID-19

Abstract

Several health organizations, mainly in Western countries, have recently authorized the use of a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for patients previously vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, with criteria that do not always coincide. The COVID Scientific Committee of the Illustrious College of Physicians of Madrid (ICOMEM) has received and asked several questions about this situation, to which the group has tried to give answers, after deliberation and consensus. The efficacy of the vaccines administered so far is beyond doubt and they have managed to reduce, fundamentally, the severe forms of the disease. The duration of this protection is not well known, is different in different individuals and for different variants of the virus and is not easily predictable with laboratory tests. Data on the real impact of a supplementary or “booster” dose in the scientific literature are scarce for the moment and its application in large populations such as those in the state of Israel may be associated with a decrease in the risk of new and severe episodes in the short observation period available. We also lack sufficient data on the safety and potential adverse effects of these supplementary doses and we do not know the ideal time to administer them in different situations. In this state of affairs, it seems prudent to administer supplemental doses to those exposed to a higher risk, such as immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. On the other hand, we consider that this is not the time to accelerate, on the spur of the moment, a massive administration of a third dose to other population groups that are less exposed and at lower risk, without waiting for adequate scientific information, which will undoubtedly arrive gradually. We do not believe that this position is incompatible with the practical and ethical warnings made by the World Health Organization in this respect.

Third trimester messenger RNA COVID-19 booster vaccination upsurge maternal and neonatal SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibody levels at birth

“…Despite the initially promising results of nationwide vaccination campaigns, many countries are currently experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 [4] , probably due to reduction in the protection of the COVID-19 vaccine after about 6 months from administration [5] . In the past few months, a few health organizations, mainly in Western countries, have authorized the use of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to reestablish protection after it has decreased [6] . On the 19th of August 2021 the Israeli Ministry of Health authorized and recommended the administration of the booster dose to pregnant women who are at least six months after the second vaccine.…”

Maternal and Neonatal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Immunoglobulin G Levels After the Pfizer-BioNTech Booster Dose for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination During the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

“…3 The administration of a third COVID-19 dose (booster dose) has been authorized and recommended to pregnant women by several health organizations to reestablish protection. 4,5 It has been demonstrated that a third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is effective in restoring protection against severe COV-ID-19-related outcomes and decreases rates of hospitalizations compared with those who received only two doses at least 5 months before. [6][7][8] Previous studies have demonstrated a robust maternal antibody response and placental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination during the second and third trimesters.…”

COVID-19 booster vaccine willingness among patients with chronic kidney disease in Taizhou, China

“…It is even more necessary for hemodialysis patients to receive COVID19 booster vaccine doses 24 . But our survey reported the opposite results: the hemodialysis patients were less willing to receive COVID-19 booster vaccine doses.…”