Austria should offer some healthcare and other critical care workers a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the National Vaccination Council said in an updated directive issued late Thursday, citing risks from the Omicron variant. is spreading rapidly.
The council said, however, that it did not have enough scientific data to recommend the fourth installment more widely.
“In anticipation of an impending Omicron wave, a fourth vaccine may be offered in high-risk areas (such as those exposed to the virus) and in systemically critical areas six months after the third vaccination,” the council said.
Austria said on Wednesday it would reintroduce stricter restrictions from December 27 to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
In November, the government announced a fourth national lockdown and said it would make vaccination mandatory for all Austrians, the first country in the European Union to do so.
Although the three-week lockdown has drastically reduced the daily number of new COVID-19 infections from record levels, the country is preparing for another increase in infections. Hundreds of Omicron infections have already been confirmed.
In its updated guidelines, the National Vaccination Council stated that fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine could be given “outside of approved indications” to healthcare teams and other critical areas after medical consultation.
“There is still no evidence that this additional vaccination can prevent infections. However, it can be considered that serious illnesses can be prevented,” he said.
Source: AMPE
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Source From: Capital

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