News
High risk category people advised to take fourth dose of Covid vaccine
View(s):The fourth dose (2nd booster) of the vaccine against COVID-19 will be rolled out next week, the Health Ministry has decided.
“The Pfizer 4th dose will be administered at all Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices and major hospitals,” said the Deputy Director-General (Public Health Services I), Dr. S.M. Arnold.
Dr. S.M. Arnold
He advised especially those in high-risk categories for COVID-19 such as the elderly (over-60s) to get the 4th dose.
Reiterating that the current protection we have against COVID-19 is due to the vaccine, he said “we need to boost this protection to safeguard ourselves from any new variant that may assail us causing severe disease and death”.
The 4th dose can be taken by anyone over 20 years of age who has already got the first three doses (the 1st and 2nd jabs and the 1st booster), it is learnt.
Referring to the time period required between doses, Dr. Arnold said:
n A person over 20 years of age who has taken the first two doses of any variety of vaccine (either AstraZeneca or Sinopharm which were the common vaccines used in the country) are eligible to take the 1st booster (or 3rd dose) of Pfizer within three months of the 2nd dose and at least after a month’s gap from the 2nd dose.
n A person over 20 years of age who has taken the 1st booster (or 3rd dose) is eligible to take the 2nd booster (or 4th dose) within three months of the 1st booster (or 3rd dose) and at least after a month’s gap from the 1st booster (or 3rd dose).
n If anyone over 20 years of age has not taken any vaccine, he/she is eligible to take the 1st dose of Pfizer followed by the subsequent doses of the same vaccine.
Dr. Arnold said that some countries such as Australia and New Zealand were requesting visitors and students to get the 4th dose.
Israel, Denmark, Sweden and Chile are some of the countries offering the 4th dose.
When asked about the stocks of Pfizer vaccines, he said that there were about 7.5 million doses left which would expire at the end of July. It has all been paid for. The stocks had been ordered taking into account the high turnout of people for the 1st and 2nd doses earlier. Now among those eligible for the first two doses, nearly 70% were covered. Currently, however, a slackening of enthusiasm for the boosters (on average about 50% have accessed the boosters) is being experienced which is not only in Sri Lanka but also worldwide.
“This may be due to the virulence of COVID-19 tapering down,” he said, urging those in high-risk categories to take the 1st booster and also the 2nd if they have not done so far.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!