4th dose of Covid vaccine last until next year, says Minister

The fourth dosage of the covid-19 vaccine will most likely be the last this year, according to Health Minister, and the next vaccination campaign will take place before the autumn of 2023.

He also stated in an interview that no other country has used more than four doses and that the fourth dose "is being offered to all those who have to take the 4th shot should wait120 days" after receiving the third dose, "beginning with people above 50 years and then only to the general public”.

Due to the new variants, the basic plan of two doses may not be sufficient to prevent critical illness and hospitalisation, thus another booster of the vaccine "significantly" enhances protection, according to the Minister.

For the last five weeks, he added, there has been no increase in new cases in the city, and he projected that "within a couple of weeks, we will begin to witness a reduction."

"We'll keep an eye on how each graph of patients behaves," he said.

 "During the month of May, incidents of Covid-19 across the City increased, and we have had several days when they have levelled out." According to the Minister, "a concrete scenario" is on the way, "in which one extra respiratory ailment, such as the flu, is transmitted normally."

"We're not quite there yet," the healthcare official said, adding that COVID-19 is still causing "waves of transmission" in the "transition zone, with "a big number of people falling sick every day."

The SARS-CoV-2 vaccination began in 2020 for key employees and in 2021 for the rest of the citizens. The third dosage was available beginning in October 2021, while the fourth dose began in April 2022.