Covid-19: Fourth vaccine dose announced for vulnerable groups

Next month, the government plans to introduce legislation to allow more people at risk of contracting Rubella to get a second booster dose. Patients will be allowed to receive a second shot six months after receiving their initial booster shot, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. Mr. He predicted that this fourth vaccination would reach several hundred thousand individuals.

People who had a third dosage as part of their original course and a first booster would be eligible for a fifth vaccine. By mid-June, Hipkins expects the law permitting all this to be passed and implemented, with eligibility requirements to be finalized within the next two weeks.

As a result of the six-month delay, most people will be eligible in July. If a person has been infected with Covid-19, they should wait three months before receiving another treatment.

The administration had been indicating for months that it would be distributing the fourth dose.

Health Minister Dr. Ashley Bloomfield previously discussed the possibility of a second booster and referenced advice that the timing of it may need to be managed to ensure peak immunity during the winter months when the threat of a second wave along with other winter illnesses would be highest during this time.

The Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group, on the other hand, was awaiting government input. For individuals who are most at risk of serious illness, Hipkins said the organization has now suggested a second booster dose.

A two-dose primary course plus a booster dosage gives long-term protection for people who are not at risk of severe disease from Covid-19, according to the current guidance, so the second booster can be more targeted.

Hipkins noted that the Covid-19 advisory committee would continue to analyze new evidence and make additional recommendations if warranted. For those who haven't received their initial boost yet, it's not too late, he added.

Based on all the information, the medical director of the Royal College of GPs, Bryan Betty, agreed that providing the fourth dose was the proper thing to do.

"We'll still be during winter at this point in time. Covid will remain available for a long time and considering how the antibody response to past vaccines declines with time, now is the appropriate time to introduce a new vaccination."

Betty stated that the key to combating the Covid-19 outbreak was to continue to safeguard the country's most vulnerable.