Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MOH) clarified that the booster or the third dose for the target groups will be of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, regardless of the type of vaccine received by the person previously.
MOH recently started giving the booster dose or the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the target groups.
The target groups with the booster dose will be for those who have completed eight months from the date of receiving the last dose and including, older people 65 years, two healthcare and frontline workers aged 50 years and above, patients with chronic diseases from the age of 18 years and above, especially if they are not well controlled.
These include patients with chronic lung disease, kidney disease, including those who are undergoing dialysis, diabetes with glycated hemoglobin (hbA1c) above 7.6 per cent, blood pressure, genetic blood diseases, liver diseases, and obesity with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2.
The target groups for the third dose must have completed three months from the date of receiving the last dose are immunocompromised patients aged 12 years and over it includes patients undergoing cancer treatment, and patients who have undergone bone marrow or organ transplants, immunodeficiency diseases, people living with HIV and patients receiving immunosuppressive or biologic agents.
The ministry indicated that the date for giving the dose is determined according to the instructions of the treating doctor in order to be in line with the patient’s health condition and not conflict with his other medications.
The Supreme Committee has approved giving the third dose of the vaccine to enhance the level of protection for groups most at risk of the Covid-19 disease.
The committee also agreed to vaccinate children from the age of 5 to 12, starting from the first week of this month.
