Is a Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Needed? Experts Assess Effectiveness of Booster Shots Amid Rising Omicron Cases

In the United Kingdom, data shows that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 remain at 90% three months after receiving a booster shot. Health experts noted that the figures show how important are booster jabs after the first two doses because protection drops to 70% after three months.

MailOnine reported that although the general trend of daily hospital admissions in the country is up as a whole, the second day shows it went down in a promising sign. The experts have been pleading people to get boosted, especially with the Omicron variant still looming around. A professor from Cambridge University guarantees that the UK will not see a surge in severe cases.

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson checks a Covid-19 vaccine during a visit to a vaccination centre in Northampton on January 6, 2022.

Fourth Booster Shot Not Yet Needed

Israel is now administering the fourth dose of booster shot to their people aged 60 and up as well as n their healthcare workers and immunocompromised patients after discovering that it boosted antibodies about five times within a week. But should other countries follow their example?

According to Reuters, British health officials said on Friday that booster jabs are still providing high levels of protection for older people and those vulnerable to the Omicron variant. That is why they do not recommend getting a fourth booster shot for now.

But despite the booster shots, COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high after getting the booster shot three months ago. On the other hand, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that those who got their third dose have a 70% less chance of getting a severe COVID-19 case than those who only got two vaccine doses.

The government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization chairperson Wei Shen Lim said that the data is highly encouraging and highlights the value of a booster jab. It shows that the booster shot protects against severe disease, even for the most vulnerable.

UKHSA said that protection against mild symptomatic COVID-19 infection dropped around 30% after three months, which is more short-lived than against severe cases.

ALSO READ: FDA Considers Giving COVID-19 Booster Shots; Several Scientists Oppose Additional Jabs

How Effective Are Booster Shots Against the Omicron Variant?

Researchers in the UK have analyzed the likely impact of COVID-19 booster shots on the Omicron variant and said that it could provide protection up to 85%, BBC News reported

Although the effectivity rate is lower than the two initial vaccines, this indicates that the top-up dose is still effective at keeping people out from getting hospitalized due to COVID-19 infections. On Thursday, about 861,306 booster jabs and third doses were already administered to UK residents.

The modeling used by researchers from the Imperial College London was based on the limited information of the Omicron variant. They said that there is still high uncertainty on how the variant can affect vaccine efforts until more real-world information is gathered about this new variant that has been spreading these days quickly.

As of now, scientists are still figuring out how mild or severe the Omicron variant will be. Experts encourage people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus, despite not being designed to combat the heavily-mutated variant. A booster shot can help build up higher antibody levels to fight off the virus that's why experts strongly recommend it.