In a recent study published in PLoS Computational Biology , researchers used mathematical modelling to evaluate whether prioritizing older individuals for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster vaccinations consistently leads to optimal public health outcomes across diverse socio-economic settings. Study: Prioritising older individuals for COVID-19 booster vaccination leads to optimal public health outcomes in a range of socio-economic settings . Image Credit: BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock.
com Background In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were crucial in reducing transmission and protecting healthcare systems. The introduction of vaccines, such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Moderna, significantly altered the pandemic's trajectory by reducing severe cases and relaxing NPIs. However, immunity from these vaccines wanes over time, necessitating booster vaccinations, especially with emerging variants.
Further research is needed to refine booster vaccination strategies to address varying population structures and socio-economic contexts globally, ensuring the most effective public health outcomes. About the study The study extends a previously published age-structured compartmental model of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and vaccination. This deterministic model, governed by ordinary differential equations, divides individuals into compartments .