EMA approves 2nd Covid booster for elderly but Poland waits for tests

Poland’s health ministry said it would await the results of clinical trials on a fourth Covid vaccination despite the European Medicines Agency recommendation on Wednesday for a second booster jab for people over the age of 80.

Wojciech Andrusiewicz, the health ministry's spokesman, told PAP that currently only people with weakened immunity were receiving a fourth dose.

"We're waiting for the conclusions of clinical trials on the fourth dose," Andrusiewicz said.

"But we also want to offer the possibility of vaccination with a second booster jab to older people," he said. "The case will be first analysed by the health minister's vaccination team and the Covid Council of the prime minister."

In all, Poland has already distributed 53,997,014 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, with 22,373,451 people having been fully vaccinated, of whom 11,523,267 have also had the first booster jab, according to data posted on the official government website, gov.pl.

Despite approving the second booster jab for the elderly, the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Wednesday it was too early to consider administering the fourth dose of the Covid vaccine to the general population.