COVID-19 booster shot begins from April

The Ministry of Health announced Thursday that it will administer the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from April 26.

Health officials explained that the timing of the booster shot will be 10 to 12 weeks after the date of the first jab.

“This is based in light of new scientific information from AstraZeneca indicating that the efficacy of the vaccine is significantly increased if there is a longer period between the first and second dose. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Wellness will be implementing the booster dose from April 26, 2021, “ said a statement issued by the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS)

While some people were given a date to receive the second dose on the vaccine certificates, those dates may change and further details will soon be provided, the ministry said.

Additional doses are expected to arrive here week to further boost the vaccination campaign, the health authorities said, as it urged the public to register for the jab on the ministry’s appointment system.

The first batch of about a quarter of the 100,800 doses of the India-made Oxford AstraZeneca jabs, also known as Covishield, purchased through the global COVAX initiative, is due to arrive here this week.

While the COVID-19 vaccine is free at the point of delivery, a fund is to be set up soon for donations to the national vaccination effort, the ministry said.

So far, 44,859 people – 25,290 females and 18, 939 males, have been vaccinated up to Wednesday.
(BT/BGIS)