Booster dose now expected

THE Government is expected to make a decision on the booster dose for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination this week, National Pandemic deputy controller Dr Daoni Esorom says.
“We just received a report this week from our team and will definitely make a decision on it this week on the booster,” he said.
He said a booster was an extra dose. He said it could be in the primary series which was basically the vaccine that was received, whether it was Astra Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson or Sinopharm.
“We can decide to actually give an extra dose of that depending on our guidelines and information shown to us so far,” he said.
“Or we go for another option which is if you have received AstraZeneca, the booster can be J&J or any other vaccine.
“Vaccines are very important and we need to focus on protecting the frontline workers and those with comorbidities and most importantly the older people.
“Delta has shown us that the vulnerable are more at risk of getting infected and developing severe disease ending up at the hospital and actually dying.
“If you are unvaccinated and go to the ICU (intensive care unit) and on oxygen, our data is telling us that you will be assured probably 100 per cent that you are going to die anyway.
“So vaccine is very important in terms of preventing hospitalisation and deaths.”
Dr Esorom said the vaccination target for this year was 1,869,279 and so far as of Monday, 382,228 doses have been administered of which 285,403 people (15 per cent) have received at least one dose and 222,388 (11.9 per cent) were fully vaccinated.
He said of the three vaccines available in the country and doses distributed, 237,604 doses of AstraZeneca have been administered with 52,450 doses remaining, 125,563 doses of J&J administered with 46,808 doses remaining.