The Ministry of Health and Medical Services will soon advise on a shorter interval period where Fijians could be eligible to take their booster vaccine.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong said currently a person has had to wait at least five months to be able to get a booster dose.

This would soon change because of the risk of disease surge.

He said as of March 21, a total of 114,144 individuals have so far received booster doses.

“While members of the public have been advised to obtain their booster dose after at least five months from their second COVID-19 vaccine dose, we will shortly be advising a shorter interval period in recognition of the risk of disease surge,” he said.

“Moderna vaccine and Pfizer vaccines are both available for adult booster doses.

“We expect decreasing immunity from the two doses of vaccines as well as decreasing post-infection acquired immunity over time as our booster programme deployment is very slow.

“Our current booster programme has been slowed down by slower uptake and deployment challenges relating to the need to deal with the current surge of leptospirosis, typhoid, dengue fever, and influenza we are facing Fiji-wide.”

He added that recent evidence indicated an increased need to vaccinate children between 12 and 18 years to sustain community-wide protection.

“So given the competing issues, I have instructed teams to go back to health facilities and do targeted booster programmes for the vulnerable and the willing and to focus on our 12 to 18-year-olds through the school vaccination programme. Furthermore, we are close to opening an avenue to getting access to paediatric doses of vaccines.”

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