Hungary to receive new coronavirus vaccines
The vaccine that will be delivered to Hungary is the WHO-recommended vaccine containing the JN.1 subvariant and is of the mRNA type produced by Moderna, said Ágnes Galgóczi, head of epidemiology at the NNGYK.
The JN.1 variant is a descendant of BA.2.86 that has acquired the ability to transmit efficiently through an additional one or two mutations. It has the immune evasion of its parent but has now mutated to transmit more efficiently.
Moderna's Spikevax JN.1 contains SARS‑CoV‑2 JN.1 mRNA, an mRNA molecule with instructions for producing a protein from the Omicron JN.1 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2. Spikevax and its adapted vaccines do not contain the virus itself and cannot cause COVID-19.
"It is available for all ages, so everyone from the age of six months can get the Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccines will be stored in the county hospitals and distributed to GPs through the government offices. And for children, it will be available mainly in the large paediatric centres," she added.
So the rumour that the vaccine is not available for children under 12 is not true. As an explanation, she noted that it is the dosage of this type of vaccine that is different depending on whether the shot is given to people over 12 or under 12.
Everyone over the age of 12 gets the adult dose, and for those under 12 there is the child dose, so everyone from the age of six months is covered in Hungary.
"Currently, 100,000 doses are available for those over 12 and 800 doses for those under 12," Galgóczi clarified.
As to whether the available quantity could be sufficient, she said that the quantity of vaccine was determined taking into account the number of people who requested vaccination last year, but there is still the possibility of calling down an option for more, so if there is a greater demand, they can provide more vaccine.
On the choice of Moderna vaccine, Ágnes Galgóczi said that after the WHO recommendation, not all vaccine manufacturers have updated and adapted their vaccines to the recommended variant, and only vaccines that are licensed by the authorities can be used in Hungary, and Moderna is one of the manufacturers that has obtained the official authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the updated vaccine.
Note that the EMA has authorised three coronavirus vaccines adapted for JN.1. These are
- Comirnaty JN.1 (adapted), developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, and authorised on 03/07/2024;
- Nuvaxovid JN.1 (adapted), developed by Novavax and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and authorised on 08/10/2024;
- Spikevax JN.1 (adapted), developed by Moderna, and authorised on 10/09/2024.
In the current respiratory season, as with influenza, vaccine uptake is recommended for risk groups that might otherwise be at risk of more severe Covid-19 infection: people with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic disease, or immunosuppressed individuals.
Who should be getting an updated COVID vaccine?
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said that everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated against COVID, according to the CDC’s recommendations.
For children ages 6 months to 4 years: Vaccination is recommended, but the number of vaccinations is based on which vaccine they receive, their age, and whether they’ve received a previous COVID vaccine. Parents and guardians should refer to CDC guidance and check with their pediatrician to see what’s recommended for their child.
For people ages 5 years and up: One dose of the updated COVID vaccine is recommended, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated previously. If someone has received a COVID vaccine recently, they should wait at least two months before getting the updated one for this season.
According to updated CDC guidelines, individuals who are immunocompromised may receive additional doses with their health care provider’s guidance.
The interesting thing about the interview is that Galgóczi does not talk about the current Covid situation, nor does she assess its extent or progress. It is also interesting that she does not explain why the launch of the vaccination programme in Hungary has been delayed again and why there is no vaccination campaign linked to the programme to promote uptake of the vaccine among those affected. It is also interesting that there is no mention of the the group running the highest risk of infection and severe symptoms, the elderly. Yet last year's epidemic season revealed what is the risk of a delayed vaccination programme, namely a higher mortality among the elderly.
When is the best time to get vaccinated?
People who have not had COVID in the past few months have a couple options:
- Get the updated COVID vaccine as soon as it’s available (late August, early September) to protect yourself as the wave of summer infections continues.
- Get the updated COVID vaccine around mid-October to boost protection in time for the rise of cases that typically occur around November through January.
People at higher risk of severe illness should consider getting an updated COVID vaccine as soon as possible. Everyone who is eligible should get an updated COVID vaccine by mid-October in order to build immunity ahead of holiday travel and gatherings. Remember, it takes about two weeks to build up immunity following a vaccine, so schedule your vaccination accordingly.
It is clear from the NNGYK's weekly reports that the respiratory season is still all about COVID-19. Although the coronavirus positivity rate has been mostly lower than in the previous two seasons, almost 19% of all the nearly 2,000 samples tested between the 40th and 47th week of this year detected SARS-CoV-2, which compares with 1.4% for rhinovirus, 0.5% for influenza and 0.3% for RSV.
About three quarters of people hospitalised with COVID-19 infection were aged 60 and above, and this ratio was almost 90% on the 45th week.
A címlapkép illusztráció. Címlapkép forrása: Portfolio
