ATHENS – “The National Vaccination Committee has done significant work during the pandemic. However, its current recommendation for a second booster shot for people aged 30-59 who do not belong to the vulnerable groups is not accompanied by the necessary documentation,” Elias Mossialos, Professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), has posted on Facebook.

“The committee said ‘that there is currently insufficient scientific data on the additional benefit of a second booster shot with existing vaccines.’ If there is not enough scientific data, then the recommendation should not be made at this time. Some have indicated that those who are afraid will be able to get the fourth dose. Of course, this is not a sufficient reason to justify a policy, especially when there is insufficient documentation,” he explained.

“Public health decisions and medical decisions must be based on documentation and systematic data analysis. In our country we need to have sufficient data on the percentage of our compatriots who have adequate immunoprotection. This can be done by random sampling in the general population. So we can draw safer conclusions about the possible effects of the pandemic in the coming months but also about the need for booster shots.”

Mossialos also underlined that “existing vaccines are still very effective in preventing serious illness. They are no longer very effective in preventing mild infection and re-infections. And this is especially true for subtypes B4 and B5 of the Omicron variant.”