Get your booster dose when due in recognition of the risk of disease surge based on waning 2 doses COVID-19 vaccine protection

Get your booster dose when due as the current noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases indicates an urgency to increase the efforts to increase the booster dose coverage.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says based on this and international evidence the Ministry of Health recommends the booster dose interval for eligible persons over 18 years is reduced to 3 months after the 2nd dose in recognition of the risk of disease surge based on waning 2 doses COVID-19 vaccine protection, slow booster uptake, increased international travel with the relaxation of border measures and ongoing outbreaks in various parts of the world.

Doctor Fong is urging the public to get booster vaccine doses with a list of vaccination sites provided daily by the Ministry of Health.

Currently both Pfizer and Moderna are recommended for booster doses.

The aim of the booster campaign is to administer 250,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine. This requires a minimum of 32,000 doses to be administered weekly for 8 weeks from 1st June to 31st July this year.

Based on the COVID-19 18 years plus target population of 618,172, each division and subdivision will need to administer the targeted number of doses on the 8-week target.

COVID-19 booster priority populations are persons over the age of 18 years who have had their first two jabs 3 months prior to the 1st booster dose, those over the age of 60 years can receive an additional dose (3rd dose) followed by a booster (4th dose), health care workers, port staff, tourism and anyone over the age of 18 years who has taken their 1st booster dose can receive a 2nd booster dose after an interval of 4 months.

Doctor Fong says the return of most of the medical immunization staff has also helped to ensure support for escalating the Ministry’s vaccine booster coverage program.

He says microplanning workshops are being conducted in the Central Division, and the Western and Northern Divisions the week commencing 6th June 2022.

Follow up supervisory visits will occur weekly until the end of June.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement will also run in parallel with the booster dose campaign to promote uptake.

134,042 individuals have so far received booster doses and this represents 30.2 percent of those eligible for a booster dose.