Booster Shots Still In Talks: Minister

The need for a booster shot for Fijians is something that continues to be discussed among the Ministry of Health and its counterparts.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete told Parliament that there contin­ues to be research and follow ups in that space.

This would see how the AstraZen­eca vaccine would continue to work one year after a person is fully vac­cinated.

“There was a study done in the United Kingdom where they looked at more than 745, 000 individuals to see if they wanted another booster dose or if the second dose was effi­cient,” Dr Waqainabete said.

“What they saw was the maximum protection again is by AstraZeneca, which is the vaccine that we are re­ceiving here in Fiji.

“So, after six months of being fully vaccinated, those who received As­traZeneca still have a very high lev­el of protection against hospitalization and death.”

He said discussions were ongoing for Fiji because some countries that had used Pfizer vaccines that need­ed booster shots later to boost their level of protection.

“This study is not complete, and this will be determined as we go along,” he said.

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