WHO reforms view on COVID-19 boosters, now says they are necessary

World Health Organization advisory says that it "strongly supports urgent and broad access" to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine amid the global spread of the Omicron variant, marking a reversal of the agency's insistence in late 2021 that boosters were not necessary and contributed to the issue of global vaccine inequity.

The WHO eased its former position, which was that boosters would be recommended once countries had adequate supplies and had successfully taken care of their most vulnerable. Boosters, it now says, are particularly important for people at risk of severe disease.

In 2021, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a pause on booster doses as some countries were still struggling to obtain enough vaccine doses to service their populations. He said that wealthy countries should donate the vaccines that would be used as boosters to poor countries instead. 

Booster doses have, in some cases, been credited for keeping down the number of hospitalizations and deaths in such countries as Canada, England and the United States, even as the Omicron variant surged during the early winter months. 

The updated recommendations came from an 18-member advisory group that concentrates on "variants of concern" and their potential impact. The agency it is remaining vigilant and keeping an eye on a "stealth" version of the Omicron variant known as BA.2, which has reportedly reinfected some people after an initial case of Omicron.