Department of Health reduces interval for obtaining COVID-19 booster shots

The Department of Health has announced reduced intervals for obtaining COVID-19 booster shots. It said that by Wednesday, any South African, already fully vaccinated will be able to request a mixer booster vaccine as the department embarks on what it calls a mix and match approach.
People above the age of 18, who have received one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, will be eligible to receive a booster dose of either the same vaccine, or Pfizer, after an interval of 21 days. The department’s head of vaccination programmes Doctor Nicholas Crisp says the move was prompted by vaccine availability.
“We’re no longer vaccine constrained and we’ve had quite a lot of anxiety from people who feel that the gap is too long, and they know that it’s shorter in other countries. So, there’s been a lot of request for people to come in for vaccination in shorter intervals. Since we have the vaccine and the intervals are shorter in other countries. The ministerial advisory committee advised us that it’s quite acceptable to go back to the original intervals and reduce them,” says Crisp.
VIDEO: If fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you’ll be able to request a mixer booster vaccine: Dr Crisp