There is tremendous interest in booster vaccinations of the Covid vaccine. Many of our patients reach us with questions regarding this. While the Food and Drug Administration in the United States is still considering a booster vaccine for Covid, it has not yet recommended it. If the 3rd booster will be recommended it will be administered at least 8 months after the second dose of the second mRNA vaccine (example Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).
The CDC or Centers for Disease Control has yet to issue its final guidelines. It is important to realize that each government must make recommendations for vaccination keeping many things in mind, including population size, resources and vaccine availability. The government of Pakistan as well as the NCOC has not recommended booster shots for anyone. Not enough data is available for the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines for boosters.
The government of Pakistan is doing an admirable job of vaccinating our population despite the many constraints it currently faces. The most important thing to remember is that no one is safe until everyone is safe. For now, we must concentrate on getting as many individuals vaccinated as quickly as possible with the first two doses of the vaccine, whichever vaccine is available. At this time, it is not recommended that vaccines be mixed and matched for the first and second dose. You must receive both doses of the same vaccines to get an appropriate result.
Finally, it is most important to remember that there is no vaccine and no booster that is a 100 % guarantee against infection with the COVID-19 virus. Vaccination is a way to reduce both the likelihood of getting the infection and significantly reducing the severity of disease. Equally important we must remember that fully vaccinated individuals can and do pass on the virus, especially the delta variant or strain, if they are infected even if they are asymptomatic and not sick themselves.
We must act sensibly and continue to use masks, physically distance and help get as many people vaccinated as we can.
If you need an online consult, outpatient care, inpatient/ in hospital care, please contact The Chest Clinic – Dr. Javed Husain & Associates at +92 301 847 9066