Egypt has started sending text notifications to fully vaccinated individuals detailing appointment slots for booster shots of the coronavirus vaccine, as the health authorizes appropriate booster types.
The additional shot, meant to provide stronger and longer-lasting protection against the virus and its new variant, may be different from the two initial doses, according to a recently issued circular by the Egyptian Ministry of Health.
Except for the Sputink vaccine, the booster shots for all the vaccines used in the Egyptian inculcation campaign can match the initial doses, with other types recommended as second option in case of the unavailability of the primary vaccines.
People who received two shots of either the AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines may be offered booster shots of the other two types.
Those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be offered a second shot from AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.
Those who took two shots of the Sinopharm vaccine may be offered boosters from Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, while those who took Sinovac shots may be offered boosters from Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.
The recipients of Sputnik vaccine will not be offered booster shots from the same vaccine, according to the health ministry's circular, but will be offered shots from AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.
The country is currently prioritizing the booster shot, which is optional, for an initial group totaling around 4.1 million whose health and work conditions put them at elevated risk of contracting the virus.
The group includes patients who suffer from immunodeficiency, patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, the elderly, and healthcare workers, the government announced in late November.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
