A recent study indicates that when there’s a shortage of COVID-19 booster vaccines, prioritizing vaccinations for the elderly leads to the least number of deaths, according to researchers, including Robin Thompson from the University of Oxford. This study was published on August 8 in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology.
Even with widespread vaccination efforts against COVID-19, diminishing immunity coupled with new virus variants has led to ongoing waves of infection globally. Given the high costs associated with producing and administering booster doses, along with their limited availability, policymakers face the tough decision of whether to focus on vaccinating older adults or explore alternative strategies to curb unnecessary deaths.
The researchers conducted a study using mathematical models to explore this issue, considering the COVID-19 spread in various countries with differing economic conditions. Their findings showed that giving booster shots to older adults consistently resulted in the best public health results, irrespective of a country’s wealth or its age demographics. They assessed both total fatalities and “years of life lost,” which reflects the impact of early deaths among younger populations.
The authors recommend that when vaccine supplies are constrained, older adults should be prioritized for booster shots due to their significantly higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. This guideline applies to both high-income countries, which have a higher number of elderly people, and lower- or middle-income nations, where younger populations may be more prevalent. Furthermore, this approach is more effective than targeting individuals based on their potential to infect others and remains beneficial regardless of the booster rollout timing and availability.
Dr. Thompson explains, “Prioritizing COVID-19 booster vaccinations for older adults is expected to yield the best public health results in all countries analyzed, regardless of their income status.
This is because older individuals are at a far greater risk of severe consequences from the virus compared to younger people.
Thus, the advantages of focusing booster immunizations on older persons outweigh the potential benefits of vaccinating younger individuals, who may play a larger role in spreading the virus.”
