In a recent statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it “strongly supports urgent and broad access to current COVID-19 vaccines for primary series and booster doses,” as vaccines and boosters continue to protect against severe disease in the face of Omicron.

This represents a shift from the previous stance that the organization announced in September 2021, when it repeatedly warned against the widespread distribution of booster shots to people without any underlying health conditions.

At the time, WHO stressed the fact that rolling out boosters would accentuate inequities in vaccine access, and it prompted higher income countries to give the extra doses to countries with lower vaccination rates instead.

In the new statement, the WHO has also cautioned that “to ensure [that] COVID-19 vaccines provide optimal protection into the future, they may need to be updated,” as new variants emerge.