He says that “this is obviously very welcome but it doesn’t mean much,” since many countries are still seeing steep increases and “shocking inequities” in access to vaccines. Tedros says he is calling for a moratorium on booster shots at least until the end of September “to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up.”He says “third doses may be necessary for the most at-risk populations, where there is evidence of waning immunity against severe disease and death.”———LONDON — Britain is offering a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine to up to half a million people who have severely weakened immune systems to give them additional protection. The government’s vaccine advisers says people over 12 years old with conditions such as leukemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants will be offered a third jab. Professor Wei Shen Lim of the official Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunization says the move aims to reduce the risks of hospitalization and death for the severely immuno-suppressed, a population estimated at 400,000 to 500,000 people, or less than 1% of the total population.

Source: Daily Sun September 01, 2021 18:45 UTC