A note by RIA Novosti with the heading “In The WHO has recommended no more than three doses of COVID-19 vaccinations” contradicts the advice of the World Health Organization that people at risk need a second booster. This was stated by The Insider virologist, professor at George Washington University Konstantin Chumakov.
The news itself of the pro-Kremlin edition cited the opinion of the chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, Alejandro Cravioto. Cravioto said that re-administration of the coronavirus booster vaccine is recommended "only for people who have an increased risk of complications." This information contradicts the title chosen by the propagandists.
Immediately, the agency quotes the chairman, which says:
“The recommendation aims to control the pandemic and mortality in the high-risk population, but is not a general recommendation to vaccinate the entire population after the first booster administration, as described in the roadmap. This means that it is selectively done in populations that we believe are most at risk.”
The publication adds that, according to Cravioto, experts recommended a second booster “for people in the highest priority groups four to six months after the completion of the primary procedure.”
Chumakov called it "unprofessional journalism" and "juggling":
“Interestingly, the title of the Russian article contradicts what it says and what the WHO Expert Council (SAGE) said. The SAGE recommendation is that people at risk should get a second booster. This is exactly what both the FDA and the CDC have previously recommended. Of course, this can be interpreted to mean that people not in risk groups should not be vaccinated. But this is juggling, unprofessional journalism.”
Chumakov also added that there are no medical and scientific grounds for the recommendation given by RIA. Most likely, it is connected with the desire to send the vaccine to where it is lacking, the expert concluded.
On August 16, it was reported that the United Kingdom was the first in the world to approve the bivalent vaccine of the American company Moderna against both the coronavirus and the Omicron strain.
Molecular biologist and science journalist Irina Yakutenko previously told The Insider that the omicron has changed a lot compared to its predecessors and the antibodies developed after vaccination are no longer able to prevent it from entering cells. Both those who have been vaccinated and those who have been ill can become infected again. The biologist called the solution to the problem of changing vaccines so that they stimulate the production of antibodies that recognize new varieties of SARS-CoV-2. She noted that mRNA vaccine manufacturers Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna , as well as the creators of the Russian Sputnik, have developed new versions of vaccines modified to look like Omicron.