Government opens for additional COVID-19 booster doses
Pretoria: The Department of Health would like to announce that additional COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are be available at all active vaccination sites across the country with effect from Monday, 30 January 2023.
The is in line with the announcement by Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, earlier this month that government has been inundated with requests from fully-vaccinated members of the public, especially the most vulnerable groups, seeking to maintain and enhance their protection against current and evolving COVID variants.
This means, that from today (30 January 2023), all adults aged 50 years and older will be eligible for a total of five vaccine doses, while those aged between 18 and 49 years will be eligible to receive another dose to make a total of four doses of either J&J or Pfizer vaccine.
The waiting period between the last dose and this additional dose should be at least 180 days or six months.
All adults aged 18 years and older who are registered on the EVDS as being immunocompromised will also be eligible to receive an additional booster dose 180 days after their last dose.
The vaccination schedule for adolescents between 12 and 17 years remains unchanged. This means age group remains eligible to receive two doses.
The EVDS has been updated to accommodate these changes and vaccinators have been informed accordingly.
The department has integrated COVID vaccination services into primary health services, and efforts are being made, working with provinces to update the lists of vaccination sites on an ongoing basis and make these accessible to the public.
Vaccination remains the most effective weapon against the pandemic, especially as new variants and sub-variants are detected in various parts of the world. Those who experience known COVID-19 symptoms such as flu-like symptoms including body aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and/or taste loss are encouraged to visit a health facility.
