High-risk individuals and those over 65 recommend a fourth partial vaccination against coronavirus in Austria.
Sweden was early for a fourth corona vaccination starting in January 2022 for those over 80 years of age and nursing home residents. According to a new study by Swedish scientists, the result is Temporarily up to 71 percent fewer deaths.
4th Corona vaccination recommended in Austria for over-65s
Peter Nordström and his co-authors from Umea University published their results a few days ago in The Lancet Regional Health. They had access to Swedish national registries. The scientists tried to determine the effect of the fourth partial vaccination against Corona in people of advanced age. Current recommendations in Western industrialized countries have been based primarily on immunological studies. Laboratory studies have demonstrated a poorer response to vaccination. In addition, the protective effect wears off more quickly.
A Swedish study on the fourth Corona vaccination
The scientists conducted their study in two steps: First, they compared data from 12,262 residents of Swedish nursing homes, aged 84 years on average, who had been vaccinated against Corona for the fourth time, with an equally sized group of people from nursing homes (same age, same health status, without fourth partial vaccination). According to the researchers, the result was that “in the period between seven and 60 days after the fourth dose, mortality was 39 percent lower among those vaccinated for the fourth time. However, this difference decreased to 27 percent in the period from 61 to 126 days (after the fourth partial vaccination; note).” However, in the second phase, about two to four months after the “fourth prick,” the difference was no longer statistically significant.
Fourth partial vaccination against Corona produced a very high effect
The influence of one medical intervention – in this case, a single partial vaccination – on total mortality (all causes) suggests a very high impact because the protection of this one intervention (fourth partial vaccination against covid-19) shows through. However, there are many other causes of death in this age group.
80-year-olds with and without fourth Corona vaccination compared
In the second similar study, the scientists compared all Swedes over 80 years of age who had received the fourth dose of the vaccine (197,052 people) with an equally large group of the same period without the vaccination. Among those who had been vaccinated again, there was even a 71 percent lower overall mortality (all causes) between seven and 60 days after vaccination. About four months after the ‘fourth sting,’ this protective effect had reduced to 54 percent but remained statistically significant.
The protection rate decreased after the first two months following vaccination.
“Compared with the third dose, a fourth partial vaccination with an mRNA vaccine against covid-19 during the omicron wave produced reduced mortality from any cause in the group of nursing home residents and the very elderly within the first two months. Then the protection rate decreased slightly,” the scientists wrote. Possibly, future, these people should continue to be vaccinated against Corona at relatively short intervals because their aging immune system builds up little “memory” that immediately kicks in again in the event of renewed contact with SARS-CoV-2. In younger people with an intact immune system, on the other hand, such a “memory” develops and provides longer-term protection.
- source: APA/picture pixabay.com
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