An expert group convened by the World Health Organisation said Tuesday it “strongly supports urgent and broad access” to booster doses, in a reversal of the U.N. agency’s previous insistence that boosters weren’t necessary and contributed to vaccine inequity. 

In a statement, WHO said its expert group concluded that immunisation with authorised COVID-19 vaccines provides high levels of protection against severe disease and death amid global circulation of the hugely contagious omicron variant.It said vaccination, including  use of boosters, was especially important for people at risk of severe disease.