European Union health authorities are now recommending a second booster dose for people over 60 years of age and people with serious health problems amid a resurgence of infections and hospitalizations in Europe.

While current coronavirus vaccines continue to provide good protection against chronic symptoms and death, the effectiveness of the vaccines themselves is reduced by the evolution of the virus.

Since April, health authorities in the European Union have recommended that a second booster dose be given only to people over 80 years of age and to people at risk of serious health problems.

The new recommendation is expected to ease the decision -making process at the European country level to speed up vaccination campaigns, after slowing down to a halt in recent months.

Vaccine makers such as Moderna and partners Pfizer and Biontech are testing modified vaccines to target the PA4 and PA5 submutants of the Omicron mutant.

The European Medicines Agency, which is currently working on evaluating two modified vaccines, hopes the first next -generation vaccine will be approved in September.