COVID breaks records in Europe, prompting booster shot expansion

EU public health agency, recommended vaccine boosters for all adults, with priority for those over 40, in a major shift of policy

Reuters   |   Brussels   |   25.11.21: Coronavirus infections broke records on Wednesday in parts of Europe, once again the epicentre of a pandemic which has prompted new curbs on movement and made health experts think again about booster vaccination shots.

 Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary all reported new highs in daily infections as winter grips the continent and people gather indoors in the run-up to Christmas, providing a perfect breeding ground for Covid-19.

 The disease has swept the world in the two years since it was first identified in central China, infecting more than 258 million people and killing 5.4 million.

 The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the EU public health agency, recommended vaccine boosters for all adults, with priority for those over 40, in a major shift of policy.

“Available evidence emerging from Israel and the UK shows a significant increase in protection against infection and severe disease following a booster dose in all age groups in the short term,” the ECDC said in a report published on Wednesday.

 Many EU countries have already begun giving booster doses to their populations. ECDC head Andrea Ammon said boosters would increase protection against infection caused by waning immunity and “could potentially reduce the transmission in the population and prevent additional hospitalisations”