Muscat: COVID-19 booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are currently being administered to two sections of people in Oman.
People eligible for booster doses must have completed at least eight months since receiving their previous jab, the Ministry of Health has said. Target groups currently include those aged 65 and above, and frontline workers and those in the field of healthcare aged 50 and up.
People above the age of 18 who suffer from chronic diseases, including lung conditions; kidney disease; blood diseases; people with kidney failure undergoing dialysis; severe heart disease; diabetes with glycated haemoglobin higher than 7.6 per cent; blood pressure-related issues; liver disease; and those who are obese with a body mass index greater than 30.
The second category of vaccine recipients eligible for a booster dose are immunocompromised people aged 12 and up, patients undergoing cancer treatment, and those who have been subject to bone marrow and organ transplants. HIV positive people are also eligible for a booster dose, as are people who are currently under treatment that involves immunosuppressive drugs.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has also asked people who experience side effects on being administered vaccines to report them at the earliest. “If you suspect a side effect, make sure to report it,” said the MoH in an advisory. “Always report suspected side effects. Together, we can make vaccines better for everyone.”
Those who wish to report side effects suffered after being given a vaccine can visit the Ministry of Health website: www.moh.gov.om, can email the Department of Pharmacovigilance and Drug Control ([email protected]), and/or call the ministry on 2235-7687 or 2235-7690.
