COVID-19 vaccination: a recommended booster dose for those 18 years of age and older

In delivered on friday, november 19, 2021, the HAS already recommended that the booster dose be given from 40 years of age, 6 months after the last injection. In a new opinion delivered on 25 november 2021, it recommends reducing the deadline to five months and extending the recall campaign to all persons aged 18 and over. The HAS considers that the worrying epidemic context justifies an acceleration of the vaccination campaign by shortening the time between the first complete vaccination schedule and the booster dose.

According to recent studies, the reduction in the peak number of hospitalizations is in fact of the order of 20% if the booster is only given to people 65 and older, when it is 40% if the booster dose is extended to all persons 18 years of age and older. Assuming that the booster has the same efficacy after 5 or 6 months, for 400,000 doses distributed daily to people 18 years and older, the reduction in peak size is 50% and 39% respectively for a period of 5 and 6 months.

The HAS underlines that, in the context of increasing circulation of the virus, especially among the elderly, it is essential to continue the vaccination efforts of the people who have not yet been vaccinated as well as the administration of the booster to the eligible groups.