Recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization regarding WHO/EUL COVID-19 vaccines

22/10/2021

From 4 to 7 October 2021, a meeting of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization was held. For booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines included in the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL), they recommended the following: 

  • Moderately and severely immunocompromised individuals should be offered an additional dose of all WHO/EUL COVID-19 vaccines as part of an extended series since these individuals are less likely to respond adequately to vaccination following a primary vaccine series, and are at high risk of severe COVID-19.
  • For the Sinovac and Sinopharm inactivated vaccines, an additional (third) dose of the homologous vaccine should be offered to persons age 60 and above as part of an extended primary series. The use of a heterologous platform vaccine for the additional dose may also be considered based on vaccine supply and access considerations. When implementing this recommendation, countries should initially aim at maximizing two-dose coverage in that population, and thereafter administer the third dose, starting in the oldest age groups.
  • In relation to the global COVID-19 vaccination strategy, drawing on SAGE's June 2021 recommendation, and given the progression of the pandemic, the strategy prioritizes vaccination of high-risk populations and all adults, and fully commits to ensure that by mid-2022 70% of the world's population is fully vaccinated.

Source: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/defaultsource/immunization/sage/2021/october/sage_oct2021_meetinghighlights.pdf?sfvrsn=3dcae610_15.

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