Booster shots for all eligible adults, says MOH

Mere days after reporting high demand for COVID-19 booster shots, authorities have immediately widened access to all whose second shot was at least six months ago.

Co-coordinator of the vaccine campaign, Major David Clarke, confirmed the development on Monday.

He disclosed that all adults who received their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine six months ago or longer will qualify for the booster or third shot. It will be administered at all vaccination sites across the island from Tuesday.

The booster shot is only being offered for the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Ministry of Health said.

Previously, the booster was given to individuals 70 years and older, immunocompromised patients, and frontline and healthcare workers.

Last Friday, co-coordinator of the vaccination programme Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand explained that due to the high demand for the booster shots, most of the thousands of doses of vaccines set to expire at the end of October would be used.

Around 15,000 doses were due to expire while another 35,000 doses are set to expire at the end of December.

Dr Ferdinand added that the booster shots would help significantly in the fight against the rampant Delta variant which has killed in record numbers since the pandemic reach Barbados in March 2020. COVID-related deaths here stand at 156, with almost half occurring last month alone.

The global death toll from COVID-19 topped five million on Monday, less than two years into the pandemic.

Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil –account for nearly half of all reported deaths.

Dr Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health said: “This is a defining moment in our lifetime.

“What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another five million?”

Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke. (SD)