Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

European Union To Decide On Covid Booster Shot Next Month

European Union To Decide On Covid Booster Shot Next Month

An European Medicines Agency expert also said the "evidence was becoming clearer" on the need for boosters shortly after the first jabs for people with weakened immune systems.
The European Union's drug watchdog said Thursday it expected to decide in early October whether to approve boosters of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for over 16s.

A decision on further jabs of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for at-risk people and the elderly is due at the same time, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.

Protection against coronavirus is shown to decrease in the months following the first jabs, the Amsterdam-based regulator's head of vaccine strategy Marco Cavaleri told a news conference.

"The available data are showing that immunity against COVID-19 from initial vaccination wanes over time, and the protection from infection and symptomatic disease is decreasing in different parts of the world," Cavaleri said.

As a result, the EMA is now evaluating Pfizer's application for the use of a third booster dose at least six months after the second dose in people aged 16 or older.

"The outcome of this evaluation is expected in early October unless supplementary information is needed," Cavaleri said.

The EMA expert also said the "evidence was becoming clearer" on the need for boosters shortly after the first jabs for people with weakened immune systems who "respond poorly" to the initial vaccination.

Hospitalisation rates in the elderly were starting to rise as the initial jabs wore off, Cavaleri said.

The watchdog would "consider by early October if any specific recommendation can be included in product information" for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for such people, Cavaleri said.

Some EU countries were starting to give boosters to at-risk people ahead of a possible winter spike in Covid cases ahead of authorisation, Cavaleri said.

The EMA "acknowledged and understood" this decision, he added.

The watchdog, meanwhile, expects to make decisions on approving Covid vaccines for younger children in coming months.

Pfizer is due to submit data on trials for children aged 5-11 in early October, and Moderna in November, with decisions likely four weeks afterwards in each case, Cavaleri said.

The regulator has currently approved four vaccines for use in the 27-nation EU: Pfizer and Moderna, which use messenger RNA technology, and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which use viral vector technology.

Only Pfizer and Moderna are so far approved for use in children aged 12 and up.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
×