France recommends a single vaccination for people who have had Covid-19

Issued on: 12/02/2021 – 15:38Modified: 12/02/2021 – 15:40

All three Covid-19 vaccines approved for use in the European Union are given as two doses, several weeks apart.

This is because clinical studies have shown that immunity to the disease was significantly higher after individuals received two shots.

However, the French Public Health Authority said on Friday that people already infected with Covid-19 develop an immune response similar to that of a vaccine dose, and that a single dose after infection would likely be sufficient.

A single dose of vaccine will also play the role of “reminding” their immune systems how to fight Covid-19, he said.

The authority recommended an interval of three to six months after infection before individuals who recovered from Covid-19 receive an injection.

“At the moment, no country has clearly positioned itself in terms of a single vaccination dose for people who have already contracted Covid-19,” he said.

The vaccination program is only just starting

France has accelerated its vaccination program in recent weeks, but it is still in its infancy.

On Thursday, more than 2.1 million people had received at least one dose of vaccine, of which nearly 535,800 had already received two.

At least 3.4 million people in France have had a confirmed Covid-19 infection, although there are likely many more given the relative lack of accessible tests during the first wave of the pandemic.

Two recent US studies suggest that a single dose of vaccine may work in individuals who have already recovered from Covid-19.

One paper said immunity in individuals who had had Covid-19 and then a single dose of vaccine “is equal to or even greater” than that of people who have not had Covid-19 but have received two doses of vaccine.

A vaccine still under development by Johnson & Johnson works with a single dose, but it has not yet received emergency use approval from regulatory authorities in the EU and the US.

(AFP)