France recommends the single vaccine for people who have had Covid-19

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

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

This is because clinical trials have shown that immunity to the disease was significantly higher after people received two photos.

However, the French public health authority said on Friday that people who had already been infected with Covid-19 developed an immune response similar to that offered by a dose of vaccine and that a single dose after infection would suffice.

A single dose of the vaccine will also play a role in reminding the immune system how to fight Covid-19, he said.

The authority recommended a delay of three to six months after infection before people who recovered from Covid-19 received a jab.

“Currently, no country has clearly positioned itself on a single dose of vaccination for people who have already contracted Covid-19,” he said.

The vaccination program is just beginning

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

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

At least 3.4 million people have confirmed Covid-19 infections in France, although there are likely to have been 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 the vaccine may work in people who have already recovered from Covid-19.

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

A vaccine still under development by Johnson & Johnson works with a single dose, but has not yet received an emergency use authorization from EU and US regulators.

(AFP)