SUVA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Fijians have been urged to get the vaccine booster dose as the current noticeable hike in COVID-19 cases indicates an urgency to step up efforts to increase the booster dose coverage.
Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong has urged the Fijian public to get the booster dose, and a list of vaccination sites is provided daily by the Ministry of Health, according to reports by Fijivillage news website on Thursday.
Based on international evidence, the ministry recommends the booster dose interval for eligible population be reduced to three months after the second dose in recognition of the risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
This is because of the need for vaccine protection, slow booster dose uptake, increased international travel with the relaxation of border measures and ongoing outbreaks in various parts of the world.
The aim of the booster dose campaign is to administer 250,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. This requires a minimum of 32,000 doses to be administered weekly for eight weeks from June to July this year.
Fong said COVID-19 booster dose priority populations are people over the age of 18 years who have had their first two jabs, adding that those over the age of 60 years can receive an additional dose or the third dose, followed by a booster or the fourth dose for healthcare workers, port staff, tourism workers, and that anyone aged above 18 who has taken their first booster dose can receive a second booster dose after an interval of four months.
Fong said the return of most of the medical immunization staff has helped ensure support for escalating the ministry's vaccine booster coverage program.
In the days from last update until Tuesday, there were 66 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the country.
The ministry said that over the recent six weeks, Fiji has had 461 positive cases, of which 175 were local cases and not related to travel.
In the South Pacific island country, 129,510 people have so far received their booster doses, or 29.5 percent of the eligible population. ■
