Rev Esp Quimioter 2022; 35(2):105-114

Booster or additional vaccination doses in patients vaccinated against COVID-19

ALEJANDRA GARCÍA-BOTELLA, ALBERTO GARCÍA-LLEDÓ, JAVIER GÓMEZ-PAVÓN, JUAN GONZÁLEZ DEL CASTILLO, TERESA HERNÁNDEZ-SAMPELAYO, MARI CRUZ MARTÍN-DELGADO, FRANCISCO JAVIER MARTÍN SÁNCHEZ, MANUEL MARTÍNEZ-SELLÉS, JOSÉ MARÍA MOLERO GARCÍA, SANTIAGO MORENO GUILLÉN, FERNANDO RODRÍGUEZ-ARTALEJO, JULIÁN RUIZ-GALIANA, RAFAEL CANTÓN, PILAR DE LUCAS RAMOS, EMILIO BOUZA

Published: 15 November 2021

http://www.doi.org/10.37201/req/149.2021

Several health organizations, mainly in Western countries, have recently authorized the use of a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for patients previously vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, with criteria that do not always coincide.
The COVID Scientific Committee of the Illustrious College of Physicians of Madrid (ICOMEM) has received and asked several questions about this situation, to which the group has tried to give answers, after deliberation and consensus.
The efficacy of the vaccines administered so far is beyond doubt and they have managed to reduce, fundamentally, the severe forms of the disease. The duration of this protection is not well known, is different in different individuals and for different variants of the virus and is not easily predictable with laboratory tests.
Data on the real impact of a supplementary or “booster” dose in the scientific literature are scarce for the moment and its application in large populations such as those in the state of Israel may be associated with a decrease in the risk of new and severe episodes in the short observation period available.
We also lack sufficient data on the safety and potential adverse effects of these supplementary doses and we do not know the ideal time to administer them in different situations.
In this state of affairs, it seems prudent to administer supplemental doses to those exposed to a higher risk, such as immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. On the other hand, we consider that this is not the time to accelerate, on the spur of the moment, a massive administration of a third dose to other population groups that are less exposed and at lower risk, without waiting for adequate scientific information, which will undoubtedly arrive gradually. We do not believe that this position is incompatible with the practical and ethical warnings made by the World Health Organization in this respect.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2022; 35(2):105-114 [Full-text PDF]