JawaPos.com – The Omicron subvariant is increasingly diverse, starting from BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5, now there is another BA.2.75 subvariant known as Centaurus.
With more and more Covid-19 subvariants emerging and penetrating antibodies from vaccines, the push for stronger protection is increasingly important to prevent severity and death. There are now calls for at-risk populations to be vaccinated with 4 doses, or 2 boosters.
“The fourth dose in the era of omicron BA.5 and BA.2.75 is urgent and important,” said Epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman to JawaPos.com, Sunday (24/7).
According to Dicky, the tendency of this Omicron subvariant is able to penetrate the vaccination barricade. And that means people need a boost from a booster dose.
“Current vaccines have weaknesses, limitations. What’s that? That is, it cannot prevent a vaccinated person from becoming infected. Even though you have been vaccinated, you can still infect other people,” he explained
Another weakness, the duration of vaccine protection is only less than 1 year. However, according to him, vaccines still protect a person from severity and death.
“Death continues to decline, the trend of ICU admissions is also declining. However, today more people are infected. This new variant re-infects much higher or stronger, although not as severe,” he said
Why is the Fourth Dose Important?
First, because in at-risk communities, the vaccine protection for their bodies has started to expire. For example in the elderly and also health workers.
Secondly, many people who are at risk have passed 6 months ago getting a booster. And with advanced boosters, it protects 60 percent from severity and 72 percent from death.
“But not all of them need a booster 2 times, but only those who are at risk, such as civil servants, health workers, to the elderly,” he concluded.