In a statement, WHO said its expert group concluded that
immunization with authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide high levels of
protection against severe disease and death amid the continuing spread of the
hugely contagious omicron variant. WHO eased back on its earlier position in
January by saying boosters were recommended once countries had adequate
supplies and after protecting their most vulnerable.
It said vaccination, including the use of boosters, was
especially important for people at risk of severe disease.
Last year, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
called for a moratorium on booster doses while dozens of countries embarked on
administering the doses, saying rich countries should immediately donate those
vaccines to poor countries instead. WHO scientists said at the time they would
continue to evaluate incoming data.
The updated recommendations came from an 18-member advisory
group that focuses on the impact of “variants of concern” — the most worrying
variants, like omicron — and assesses the vaccines’ effectiveness against them.
Numerous scientific studies have proven that booster doses
of authorized vaccines help restore waning immunity and protect against serious
COVID-19. Booster programs in rich countries including Britain, Canada and the
U.S. have been credited with preventing the surge in omicron infections from
spilling over into hospitals and cemeteries.
WHO said it is continuing to monitor the global spread of
omicron, including a “stealth” version known as BA.2, which has been documented
to have re-infected some people after an initial case of omicron. There’s mixed
research on whether it causes more severe disease, but vaccines appear just as
effective against it.
WHO noted that the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are
all based on the strain that was first detected in Wuhan, China more than three
years ago.
“Since then, there has been continuous and substantial virus
evolution and it is likely that this evolution will continue, resulting in the
emergence of new variants,” the agency said. It added that coronavirus vaccines
would likely need to be updated.