According to a written statement from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group (SAGE), made up of immunization experts, recommends that the use of COVID-19 vaccines be prioritized to reflect the impact of Omicron and the high population-level immunity due to infection and vaccination. revised its roadmap.
According to its roadmap, SAGE continued to focus on prioritizing protecting those at highest risk of death and serious illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection and maintaining resilient healthcare systems.
Revised recommendations on reminder doses and their intervals in vaccination were included, and three priority groups were addressed for COVID-19 vaccination: high, medium, and low.
The high priority group included older adults, while the medium priority group also included healthy adults (under 50-60 years old) without a disease, and the low priority group included healthy children and adolescents aged 6-17 years.
Given the high level of population immunity worldwide due to widespread infection and vaccination, the main aim of vaccination has been to focus on vaccinating those at risk of serious illness and death.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe for all ages
An additional reminder dose 6 or 12 months after the last vaccine was recommended for older adults and youth with other significant risk factors in the high priority population group.
Vaccination and reminder doses are also recommended for the common priority group.
While it is not recommended to vaccinate healthy children and adolescents in the low priority group, it was stated that countries should consider vaccination based on factors such as disease burden and cost for this group.
It was also stated that COVID-19 vaccines and additional doses are safe for all ages.
“The new roadmap re-emphasizes the importance of vaccinating mostly older adults and those at risk of serious illness,” said SAGE President Hanna Nohynek. used the phrase.