Two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine provide six-month protection before it wanes so five months is good as far as cost effective deployment is concerned, says Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong.
Dr Fong made the remarks when asked about how the ministry decided on the five month interval between acquiring a second COVID-19 vaccine dose and a booster dose.
Some other countries such as Australia have shortened the interval in the wake of a spike in daily infections, reducing it to a four-month wait, with a view to shorten it further to three.
Dr Fong said in Australia’s case, they are able to reduce the wait time because they have better stocks.
In Fiji, the ministry has 150,000 Moderna doses available in stock, and expects to replenish its Pfizer stock in mid-January.
Based on the five-month interval, at least over 140,000 adults would be eligible to receive their booster dose by December end.
