Public health authorities should heed pervasive fear among elderly
The neutralizing antibody levels from the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccinations remain at one-fifth and one-seventh of those of the Pfizer and Moderna shots, respectively, according to a National Institute of Health study of 969 medical workers. Furthermore, the amounts of neutralizing antibodies from the AZ shots tend to halve three months after inoculation, with the vaccine showing particular vulnerability to the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Experts say that the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines cannot be determined solely by antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells and replicating. But skepticism about the efficacy of the AZ vaccine is serious enough to unnerve those who have received it. The results of the vaccinations thus far show that AZ recipients aged 60 or older are especially vulnerable to the virus, accounting for 36 percent of confirmed cases, 87 percent of severe cases and 95 percent of fatalities in one week recently.
The public health authorities should have hurried to administer booster shots, given that the daily count of new infections has already surpassed 3,000 and breakthrough infections have been growing among elderly people. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the six-month wait for boosters will be cut to four months for those who are 60 or older. People in their 50s will be eligible for booster doses five months after their primary vaccine series.
But there's no need to stick to this schedule, considering the pervasive fear among the elderly. One can feel a bit more relieved about those in their 50s, because in most cases, they received Pfizer and Moderna shots. Yet, with the current timeline, most people aged 60 to 74 will only be able to get a booster next year because they received their second shots mostly in August. So it would be reasonable to shorten the four-month wait for AZ recipients to three months.
Fortunately, vaccine supply seems no longer to be an issue. As of Monday, there were more than 12 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available. And 98 million more doses will arrive here through the end of the year. The public health authorities should speed up the booster shots for the elderly as much as possible.
The neutralizing antibody levels from the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccinations remain at one-fifth and one-seventh of those of the Pfizer and Moderna shots, respectively, according to a National Institute of Health study of 969 medical workers. Furthermore, the amounts of neutralizing antibodies from the AZ shots tend to halve three months after inoculation, with the vaccine showing particular vulnerability to the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Experts say that the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines cannot be determined solely by antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells and replicating. But skepticism about the efficacy of the AZ vaccine is serious enough to unnerve those who have received it. The results of the vaccinations thus far show that AZ recipients aged 60 or older are especially vulnerable to the virus, accounting for 36 percent of confirmed cases, 87 percent of severe cases and 95 percent of fatalities in one week recently.
The public health authorities should have hurried to administer booster shots, given that the daily count of new infections has already surpassed 3,000 and breakthrough infections have been growing among elderly people. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the six-month wait for boosters will be cut to four months for those who are 60 or older. People in their 50s will be eligible for booster doses five months after their primary vaccine series.
But there's no need to stick to this schedule, considering the pervasive fear among the elderly. One can feel a bit more relieved about those in their 50s, because in most cases, they received Pfizer and Moderna shots. Yet, with the current timeline, most people aged 60 to 74 will only be able to get a booster next year because they received their second shots mostly in August. So it would be reasonable to shorten the four-month wait for AZ recipients to three months.
Fortunately, vaccine supply seems no longer to be an issue. As of Monday, there were more than 12 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available. And 98 million more doses will arrive here through the end of the year. The public health authorities should speed up the booster shots for the elderly as much as possible.
