Image: Kelly-Jane Turner
Fully vaccinated South Africans over the age of 18 will from this week be able to ‘mix-and-match’ Covid-19 vaccinations, as the Department of Health announced a number of changes to the vaccination rollout.
In a statement released on Monday, the department said the changes were made with support from scientific evidence to increase the uptake for vaccinations.
Here’s how the vaccination rollout has changed in the country:
Pfizer vaccine
- From Wednesday, 23 February, adults who have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine can get their second dose after 21 days (or three weeks). The time interval has been reduced from 42 days to 21 days.
- Those who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be eligible for a booster dose 90 days (or three months) after the second dose. Previous regulations stated that boosters could be administered 180 days (or six months) after the second dose.
- Adults who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be able to receive a booster dose of the same vaccine or a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 90 days or three months after the second dose.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- From Monday, 21 February, adults who have received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be able to receive a booster dose of the same vaccine or a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine after 60 days or two months.
The Health Department said the decision regarding which vaccine to administer as a booster should be guided by vaccine availability.
“If both vaccines are available at the vaccination site, homologous boosting should be preferred, unless the vaccine requests to receive a heterologous or different booster dose, or has a history of experiencing an adverse event following immunisation.”
The vaccine rules have also changed for individuals who have received their primary dose outside of South Africa. Those who are eligible to receive a booster dose will be able to register on the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS).
“More information regarding the date at which the functionality to record such doses on the EVDS will be communicated once this is finalised and available on the EVDS,” said the department.
Covid-19 vaccines may also be administered with other vaccines, such as influenza and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
“Whilst the Covid-19 vaccination programme initially recommended a 14-day interval between an individual receiving a Covid-19 vaccine and any other vaccination, this is no longer required.”
Good morning Mzansi. Get your vaccination booster dose for extra protection against #COVID19. #VaccineRolloutSA pic.twitter.com/3wyvUvcymJ
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) February 21, 2022