150,080 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrives in Fiji

150,080 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the country last night.

This has been made possible with the support of the United States of America under the COVAX Facility vaccine dose sharing mechanism.

The Fijian Government says the arrival of the Moderna vaccine will boost the ongoing vaccination efforts of the Ministry of Health as this will allow eligible individuals including pregnant women to get vaccinated.

They add soon women who are pregnant will be able to receive the Moderna vaccine to protect themselves against the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and other consequences of COVID-19.

The government also says while the AstraZeneca vaccine also protects pregnant mothers from severe illness, hospitalization and other consequences of COVID-19, the Moderna vaccine will allow earlier immunity protection for women, as the second dose is administered after 28 days.

Individuals above 60 years of age and with co-morbidities such as chronic lung disease, significant cardiac disease, severe obesity, diabetes, liver disease and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are also encouraged to get the Moderna vaccine for protection.

An individual requires two doses of the Moderna vaccine for full protection, with the second dose to be administered 28 days after the first dose.

The Ministry of Health recommends people receive the same type of COVID-19 vaccine for both first and second doses without mixing them.

This means a person who received the Moderna vaccine as the first dose should get the same Moderna for the second dose and the same applies to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Like the AstraZeneca vaccines, two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can protect individuals from severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.