European Union health authorities are urging a new wave of Covid-19 vaccinations for “vulnerable people,” claiming that a successful vaccination campaign would reduce Covid-19 related hospitalisations this winter by as much as 32%.
The comments were made during a joint announcement by the European Centres for Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Friday, during which they warned that a surge this winter in Covid-19, the flu, and the respiratory virus RSV would “put vulnerable people at increased risk of severe illness and death and will put increased pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers.”
Recommended groups include the elderly, the immunocompromised, pregnant women, and healthcare workers.
“We have to act now to minimise the burden on healthcare systems caused by the co-circulation of these respiratory viruses,” said Dr. Andrea Ammon, the Director of the ECDC.
The ECDC added that there was no evidence to suggest that newer variants of Covid-19 such as Eris cause severe illness, but they claimed that it may be leading to an increase in infections.
The US government also advised every American other than young infants to receive updated Covid-19 jabs last week.
“[The] CDC recommends the 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines,” the CDC said, adding: “Everyone aged 5 years and older should get 1 dose of the updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.”
The development comes after an announcement by the US government on Thursday, that America would be investing $600m into rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 ahead of the Autumn.
“These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus,” said US Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra.
“These tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants, are intended for use through the end of 2023, and will include clear instructions on how to verify extended expiration dates.”