Government announces second booster dose for J&J vaccine

The Department of Health says that people who received the Covid-19 J&J single-dose vaccine are eligible to receive an additional or second booster jab from either J&J or Pfizer as of Monday 14 March.

The government is encouraging people to get jabbed or boosted to build up immunity against Covid-19 infection. 

There have been some challenges with the recording of the doses on the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS), but that is expected to be resolved during the course of the week.

“Individuals can receive the second booster dose at least 90 days or 3 three months after their first booster dose,” said the health department in a statement. 

The department will keep the public informed of any amendments related to vaccination schedules, as and when scientifically based changes are made.

Covid-19 vaccines remain the most effective weapon against the pandemic and provide protection against COVID-19 infection. 

“Thus, all eligible people are urged to vaccinate to protect themselves against the current and future variants,” emphasised the department.

China is currently experiencing its worst outbreak in two years with 3,400 daily cases.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lockdown several northeastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin has been partially locked down, with hundreds of neighbourhoods sealed up, an official announced Sunday, while Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, was fully closed off.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict ‘zero-Covid-19’ policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

Additional reporting by AFP

NOW READ: Section 27 joins court battle to vaccinate teens against Covid-19