Covid-19 Booster Jabs Available From Next Week

From next week, healthcare services will begin administering Covid-19 vaccine booster doses as the country continues to battle the disease which has so far infected over 200,000 people and killed more than 3,000.

On Thursday, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo told journalists that booster doses would be rolled out from 27th December, with plans to also start vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17. This is in line with the strategy adopted by many other countries in Africa, as well as the US, UK and EU. 

Primary vaccination will remain the priority, however, with Masebo highlighting that so far less than 15% of the population have received one dose. The government is hoping to increase this to 70% by June next year.

Booster vaccines will be administered to adults over 18, with priority given to health workers and those with medical conditions that make them vulnerable to coronavirus. Those who received two doses of either AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can receive a booster after six months, while Johnson and Johnson recipients will be eligible after just two months. 

In her address, Ms Masebo warned that Zambia is currently facing a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, largely fuelled by the newly-discovered Omicron variant. She said that the government was particularly concerned about community infection in children.

On Thursday, the country recorded 3,380 new cases - bringing the average number of new infections this week to 1,732. 3 people are also believed to have died from the disease yesterday.

Masebo said that most people now being treated for severe disease had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.