COVID-19 vaccination: interval before booster reduced to 5 months

In view of the current epidemic wave, the threat of the omicron variant and the increasing incidence of hospitalisations among vaccinated persons, and following the recommendations of the Conseil supérieur des maladies infectieuses (CSMI) issued on 14 December, the Government Council of 15 December decided to reduce the interval between the last injection of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination and the "booster" dose from 6 to 5 months.

The Government plans to proceed in two phases. Starting with the invitations that will be sent out early next week and until the end of the year, the booster vaccination will be open from 5 months after the last injection. With the invitations that will be sent out in the week of 3 January 2022, the booster will be available after 4 months.

The booster is administered at least 5 months after the last dose of a complete primary vaccination or, if the primary vaccination was based on the Vaxzevria vaccine (AstraZeneca), at least 4 months after the last dose of the initial scheme. The vaccine used for the booster is an mRNA vaccine, regardless of the vaccine given in the primary vaccination:

  • Either Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), 30 ug (full dose)
  • or Spikevax (Moderna), 50 ug (half dose)

The booster may be based on a different mRNA vaccine than the one used for the primary vaccination.

For immunocompromised persons, organ transplant recipients and persons on renal dialysis, the primary vaccination includes an additional dose (0, 28 and 84 day schedule, see recommendation of 2 July 2021); a booster is indicated after an interval of at least 5 months.

Immune response and protection against SARS-CoV-2

Luxembourg's data on vaccine effectiveness in the fully vaccinated population aged 70+ are reassuring: 85% against infections, 99% against hospitalisations and 92% against deaths associated with SARS-CoV-2. This means that fully vaccinated people aged 70+ are almost nine times less likely to be infected and ten times less likely to be hospitalised for COVID-19. Similar protection was observed in residents of the same age living in accommodation facilities, with a 90% reduction in infections, 98% reduction in hospitalisations and 96% reduction in deaths after the second dose.

The impact of vaccination on transmission

Several studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccines reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission by 50-60%, including in elderly communities. These studies were conducted when the alpha variant was predominant; the vaccine effectiveness against delta variant transmission may be lower. However, it has been shown that the viral load of infected individuals decreases more rapidly if they have received a complete vaccination pattern [1]. A booster vaccination has been shown to have an effect on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, by reducing the viral load in case of infection.

Booking an appointment

The following people will receive an invitation for vaccination from the Luxembourg Government by post, with detailed instructions on how to book an appointment at one of the 4 vaccination centres or with their physician:

The list of physicians participating in the vaccination campaign is available at covid19.public.lu.

Personalised assistance is also offered through a hotline specifically set up for this purpose under the number (+352) 247-65533.

[1] Wilder-Smith A. What is the vaccine effect on reducing transmission in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant? Lancet Inf Dis. 29 October 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00690-3

Press release by the Ministry of State / Ministry of Health

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