Additional booster dose against Covid-19: who cares and with which vaccines?

This is a confusing situation, especially as the holidays approach and in the midst of an epidemic recovery. Like many health professionals for several weeks, Elisabeth Borne urged all French people on RTL this Wednesday to get vaccinated again. However, the vast majority do not fit the eligible audiences.

Launched on October 3, the latest booster vaccination campaign is aimed, on paper, at people over 60 years of age, with comorbidities, health professionals and people in regular contact with frail people.

“In practice, vaccination is open to everyone, but it has never been officially written,” Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the Union of Community Pharmacists, laments to BFMTV.com.

Anyone who wants to get vaccinated again can do so.

He explains that the vast majority of pharmacies vaccinate all people who want it and who had their last dose more than six months ago. “When an ineligible person appears and we have an open vaccine vial, we do not ask ourselves the question and vaccinate, but without instructions, the question of opening a vial may arise”, continues Pierre-Olivier Variot.

“Some may refuse because there are no clear rules,” adds the pharmacist.

Therefore, ask the competent authorities to open the additional booster dose to everyone.

“Everyone receives a bivalent vaccine as a booster”

Another question: What vaccines are given for these extra booster doses? The website of the Ministry of Health indicates that, for the target audience, “bivalent messenger RNA vaccines have been developed, that is, they protect against both the initial strain of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant.” What about the rest of the population?

“Today, everyone receives a bivalent vaccine as a booster,” confirms Pierre-Olivier Variot.

“Monovalents are now only used for primary injections,” he explains, that is, for people who have never received doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“If you go to your pharmacist and say: ‘I’m going to see my grandmother during the holidays’, you have free access to the vaccine. Everyone has to go, you have to be aware of fragile people getting vaccinated if you have to go see your family during the holidays ”, implored Élisabeth Borne.