High-risk individuals urged not to delay booster dose

 

 

High-risk individuals eligible for their Covid-19 booster dose have been urged not to delay their appointment and get the shot as soon as their turns comes.Senior health officials have stressed the importance of receiving the booster dose and how it can provide enhanced immunity.On Saturday, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) had announced that it would start giving Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccine booster doses from September 15 for all high-risk individuals, who had their second dose of the vaccine more than eight months ago.In an interview aired on Qatar TV  Sunday, Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Health Strategy Group on Covid-19 and head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), said the booster dose is expected to give long-term protection against the Delta strain and other variants of the virus for several months, or even hopefully up to a year.He noted that the MoPH's approval to giving the booster dose is based on scientific and clinical evidence, adding that many countries have taken such a decision.Dr al-Khal said the vaccine will be given to most people, in the next few months, who took the two doses in January, February and March of this year, he added.The official said the vaccination programme in Qatar has been successful. "We have been able to cover the majority of the population, with 78% of the population receiving two doses of the vaccine so far."Describing the vaccination coverage in Qatar as "very high and one of the highest in the world", Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of Vaccination at the MoPH, said in a video message yesterday that the success of the vaccination programme is due to the awareness and co-operation of the community.She said a new phase of the campaign will start on September 15 by giving a booster dose to those eligible. "Booster doses have been shown to be effective, safe with very minor side effects, similar to the first two doses."She continued, "Those eligible to take the vaccine will be contacted to book an appointment for the date and time suitable for all. I urge all of those who have finished eight months since they took the second dose, to go ahead and take the second dose to ensure they have enhanced immunity, protecting them and their loved ones from Covid-19 infection."Dr Muna al-Maslamani, medical director of the Communicable Disease Center at HMC, described how high-risk individuals would benefit from the Covid-19 booster dose."The first few months of the booster phase programme will focus on individuals most at risk of severe infection, who include people above 65 and those with chronic conditions, as well as frontline healthcare workers. The approval is in line with recent clinical evidence supporting the additional protective effect of a booster dose," she said."The latest clinical evidence shows that for most people, the protective immunity obtained from the primary vaccine series gradually started to decline after a period of eight months. The booster dose will benefit individuals by significantly increasing their antibody levels against the virus and by raising the level of protection against different variants, including Delta, for many months ahead," the official explained."I encourage all members of the community to receive their booster vaccine as soon as they become eligible to ensure they maintain a high level of protection against Covid-19," she added.Dr Samya al-Abdulla, executive director of Operations at the Primary Health Care Corporation, explained the booster vaccine appointment process for high-risk individuals."We continue to give the Covid-19 vaccines across all our 28 health centres and our vaccination team is ready to begin administering the booster dose to the community. We encourage you to get your booster dose without any delay as soon as you have been contacted by your registered health centres to fix an appointment," she said."It is important that you receive the booster vaccine within 8-12 months of your second dose to ensure you remain protected against Covid-19, and to maintain your Gold Vaccinated Status on Ehteraz," she added.