It is ever more certain that Macedonia is awaiting an unsettling autumn and a new, fourth wave of the coronavirus. Daily reports of the Ministry of Health show increased numbers of newly infected. The situation is especially critical in Tetovo, where the hospital has already started filling with new patients. Doctors are alerting competent health authorities to introduce measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus, but Minister Venko Filipce is decisive that vaccination is currently the biggest priority, writes “Truthmeter” in its analysis.

Announcements that starting from fall restrictions will be introduced for those who are unvaccinated are getting increasingly louder in the public, whereas the Immunization Committee is considering recommending the introduction of a third dose of vaccine for those who have received two doses. The reason for this option is the ever more certain scenario that new mutations of the coronavirus will appear, after the delta variant, along with the fact that there are sufficient vaccines available.

Introduction of a third dose is possible, and it is also possible for the vaccine to become seasonal

One of the possible scenarios in regards to the vaccination against Covid-19 is for the health authorities to recommend a third dose, but also for the vaccine to become a seasonal one, announced recently Minister of Health Venko Filipce. He hopes that the interest for immunization will not subside.

We are following and analysing the recommendations regarding the vaccination intensively. One of the possible scenarios is for there to be a recommendation for a third dose of the vaccine, and the next possible scenario is for this to become a seasonal vaccination. It is obvious that the trend of new strains appearing will not stop and it is very likely that the Delta strain will not be the last strain of this virus. This means that the challenges remain, stated Filipce.

Depending on the epidemiological situation, the possible introduction of new restrictions will be discussed which, as the Minister outlined, will first be directed towards those who are not vaccinated.

Some countries have already started applying a third dose

Some countries of the region and the world have started administering a third dose of the vaccine against the coronavirus. The Crisis Headquarters in Serbia concluded that the third dose of the vaccine should be given to people who have immunological problems and various chronic diseases, announced Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs Darija Kisic – Tepavcevic.

People who have transplantations, those on haemodialysis, people with malignant diseases receiving therapy, people with chronic diseases of the liver, kidneys and lungs are people whose post-vaccination immunity is shorter, said Kisic – Tapavcevic.

She indicated that the Crisis Headquarters has concluded that those people should receive the third dose six months after having received the second dose of the vaccine.
In Israel they have started administering the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people with a weakened immune system. The Ministry of Health there announced that due to the increased number of infected, they are allowing the “immunocompromised” to receive the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Among the first who received the third dose were President of Israel Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that vulnerable groups and elderly will most likely need a third dose of the vaccine against Covid-19.

A third dose will probably be needed, but not for everyone immediately, but in any case for the most vulnerable and very elderly, stated Macron.

Germany in September will start administering a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to vulnerable groups and will vaccinate children over the age of 12, announced German Minister Jens Spann following a meeting with health ministers of all German states. The third dose is planned with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, and not necessarily has to be the same as the one already received, reported Reuters.

In the Netherlands, people who have received two different vaccines will be offered a third dose of the vaccine in order for their status of a vaccinated person to be recognized outside the Schengen area, where different rules apply.
The Danish Ministry of Health announced that persons who have received different vaccines will be offered a third dose after the national vaccination program is completed. The reason for this is that several countries outside the EU and Schengen area do not recognize people vaccinated with different vaccines as fully vaccinated when entering the country. That may cause travel problems for about 150,000 Danish citizens who have received two different vaccines.

WHO calls for moratorium on third dose of vaccine against Covid-19

The World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, until at least the end of September, stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghereyesus. This move should enable at least 10 percent of the population in each country to be vaccinated, said Tedros.

I understand the concern of all governments to protect their citizens from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it” said Tedros.

First data and facts, and them a decision on the third dose

Doctor Aleksandar Stojanov, former Director of the Center for Public Health – Skopje, in a statement for “Truthmeter” says that it is still early to tell whether it will be necessary to administer a third dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 in the country.

We read different information, Serbia and other countries insist on a third dose, the WHO in no way recommends a third dose and now we do not know which information to follow. Some time needs to pass, to see the number of antibodies developed among people who have received a vaccine, to have some kind of data and facts, and then to decide. We need more mass testing to come to relevant numbers, but it is early for that, as not a year has passed since our country started the mass vaccination, says Dr. Stojanov.

According to him, it is not a problem to receive a third dose, and even a fourth does if needed, as we cannot overdose ourselves from the vaccine.

We have vaccines that we administer in several doses to children, for example, the vaccine against polio is given in five doses, for hepatitis in three doses and so on. We especially need to think about the risk categories of people, the elderly and chronically ill, those who do not have an immune response as the younger people. For them it would be good to receive a third dose. Still, we need data in order to elaborate the facts if such a decision is made. Why get a third dose if you are well protected from the first two? You don’t need to, adds Dr. Stojanov.

He reveals that at the start of the immunization process, the Institute for Immunology performed tests on three thousand volunteers and there was a satisfactory development of antibodies among those people.

We are not making extraordinary tests for the children, whether they are protected by the vaccine, as which mother would like to have her child pricked for some testing. Though indirectly we see that as the number of those vaccinated increases, accordingly the number of those infected decreases, that is, there are no diseases. The same with the coronavirus. Now is a small period for us to have some experience and data, concludes the former Director of the CPH-Skopje.

Translated: N. Cvetkovska