Registration for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine has been opened today. All 18+ people, who received their basic vaccination at least 180 days prior, are eligible for booster shots.
All adult Poles can now register for COVID-19 booster shots, on condition that at least 6 months have passed since their basic vaccination. Electronic referrals will be issued automatically.
Booster shots are available to all 18+ people who have been fully vaccinated either with two doses of Comirnaty (by Pfizer-BioNTech), Spikevax (by Moderna), or Vaxzevria (by AstraZeneca), or with one dose COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (by Johnson & Johnson).
According to announcement made by the Health Ministry last week, booster shots will be administered in order to improve, solidify and prolong protection against the coronavirus.
An additional dose is administered to people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems. This additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is intended to improve immunocompromised people's response to their initial vaccine series.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said that the decision to launch booster shots was on the hand recommended by the Medical Council, and on the other - the government vaccination issues team. "The team has analysed all available scientific sources on administering third doses. It has relied strongly on guidelines and recommendations by the: U.S. Food and Drug Admistration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)," the minister said.
"We 100% certain the third dose increases immunity capabilities of organism, which decreases six months after the full vaccination, and also that it is safe to administer it," Niedzielski stressed. "I therefore invite everyone to vaccination points. Vaccination is the most effective weapon in the fight against the pandemic. There's plenty of vaccines for everyone," he added.
Asked about potential regional lockdowns and tightening of restrictions, Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska told Polish Radio that it would depend on the infections increase tendency. "If a decision is to be made at all, it would be in the coming days. As of today, there's no such decision," he said.
"The latest forecasts assume the infections to peak at the turn of November and December. Whether it's going to happen or not - it's hard to tell. The epidemic does not follow our forecasts and, as recent months showed, they don't always turn out accurate," Kraska added.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP