Health experts in Finland are encouraging people to get their third and fourth doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as planned, rather than waiting for updated vaccines to be rolled out.
Vaccine and natural immunity-resistant coronavirus variant BA.5 is sweeping through Europe causing cases to rise and sparking conversation around a new generation of vaccines to protect against future variants.
People should not, however, pass on their booster shots if their last vaccination exceeds six months, vaccine research centre Finvac director Mika Rämet says.
"It will be very likely to come across the virus once schools and daycares resume and people return to work," Rämet says, adding that this august is set to see an increase in cases, further accelerating the spread of the virus.
Those who have not caught the virus since receiving the first doses of the Covid vaccine will likely have weakened immunity by now, according to leading physician at the Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) Hanna Nohynek.
"For example, there are many healthy 60-year-olds whose last booster dose was administered six - or even more - months ago," Nohynek tells Yle, adding that the fourth dose could re-strengthen their immunity.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) could be distributing a new generation of vaccines tailored for the omicron variant as early as September. However, information is still lacking and authorisation processes are moving slow, according to Nohynek.
"At best, the new vaccines could better protect against mild symptoms and weaken the virus' infectiousness," the THL physician says, adding that "the so-called 'old' vaccines, which were designed against the Wuhan-detected virus, still protect against severe illness caused by omicron and that is important to keep in mind."
Second boosters are starting to roll out to people over 60 and younger adults belonging to risk groups. Helsinki, for example, has started inviting people over the age of 18 in risk groups for the jabs.
TetraSys Oy.