No need to frown upon vaccine boosters, they aren’t new, says department

The Department of Health has assured South Africans that Covid-19 boosters are safe and that the concept of vaccine boosters is not new. 

“A lot of other known vaccines require boosters like the flu vaccine which is boosted every year as flu season approaches. Viruses, in general, are always changing and mutating to survive,” it said. 

South Africans who have either received the J&J or Pfizer vaccine jabs are encouraged to get booster shots to ensure maximum protection.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, vaccine boosters increase antibody levels and the response of T-cells to SARS-CoV-2. Laboratory testing has shown that high antibody levels are more effective at neutralising variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The Department of Health recommends that those who have received their initial single dose of the J&J vaccine are eligible for their first booster after 60 days and their second booster shot after 90 days. 

People who have received two vaccine doses of Pfizer are eligible for a booster of the same vaccine or a booster dose of the J&J vaccine shot 90 days after their second dose.

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale told TimesLIVE booster shots are exactly the same as Covid-19 vaccines.