European Medicines Agency warns against fourth Covid jab in general Spanish population

The European regulator argues that injecting repeated boosters over short periods of time could reduce antibody levels

EMA has argued that there is “no evidence” to support the need for a fourth jab and warned that “giving repeated boosters over short intervals could reduce the level of antibodies produced with each administration”.

This could make vaccination “less efficient over time”, said the EMA’s head of vaccine strategy, Marco Cavaleri.

The international regulators and various agencies addressed the issue during a virtual meeting last week, and concluded that “the idea of administering multiple boosters at short intervals would not be sustainable in the long term” due to the logistical challenges involved and because “it can lead to fatigue amongst the population”.

Instead, EMA believes that the most reasonable way forward would be to offer the vaccine at the start of the winter season, as is done for influenza, commonly known as the flu.

“This would increase the antibody response when it is most needed,” according to Cavaleri, who added that, for the moment there is no real data on the need and added value of administering a second booster dose – or a fourth injection – within the general population.

“When data is available it will be analysed,” insisted the head of vaccine strategy, whilst accepting that a fourth jab could be a “reasonable” response in the case of “people with compromised immune systems”.

According to the latest update from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) on vaccination levels, only 40% of the European adult population has received the third dose in the EU and the European Economic Area and around 20% of the adult population is still not fully vaccinated.

“Epidemiological data from Europe show an increasing number of infections due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant and the situation on the continent remains very worrying,” Cavaleri admitted, and warned of increased hospital pressure as a result of the rise in infections.

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