South Africans aged 50 or more are now eligible to receive an additional booster dose of Pfizer vaccine with effect from Monday, the Ministry of Health has announced.
The ministry said the additional booster is available to all people of this age group who have completed at least four months since they received their last Covid-19 vaccinations of either Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson shots – the only Covid-19 drugs being administered in the country.
“This is part of the efforts by the government to increase vaccine uptake to achieve population immunity, while protecting the most vulnerable groups, especially those living with co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension,” it said in a statement.
The Pfizer vaccine has shown to be safe and effective for boosting immunity in older persons who remained at highest risk of severe disease and death from Covid-19, according to the ministry.
“Out of a total adult population of almost 20 million people who have vaccinated so far, more than seven million of them are aged 50 years and older,” the ministry said.
It applauded the aged for coming forward in large numbers and encouraged “all individuals who have not had their second dose or booster dose to go to their nearest vaccination site to do so.”
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Communicable Disease said the country recorded 1,127 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,968,205.
The pandemic has killed over 100,000 people in South Africa.
NM/jn/APA