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Following the approval of the third (or booster) dose of COVID-19 by the Ministry of Health (SAM), doctors were the first to rejoice at being vaccinated last week, as many were concerned about a drop in titers of antibodies.
As a priority, six months after the second dose of the vaccine, health workers and those over 65 years of age are also vaccinated. elderly.
It is true that some people who did not belong to these groups were delighted to find in the electronic system the date of the booster vaccination that was assigned to them. However, you should not rush into planning a visit to the vaccination center.
Advisor to the Minister: Not everyone needs a third vaccine
The adviser to the Minister of Health, Aistė Šuksta, emphasized that it would not be worth it for others outside of the aforementioned priority groups to rush with the third vaccination.
“For people who have passed less than 6 months after the second dose of the vaccine, they can and cannot register, only those who are half a year old can. However, not everyone needs to register. And for those who need it, they are informed: these are the relevant groups: the medical, nursing care sectors.
And this means that not only those who work there, but also the service providers, that is, people who are in an active COVID-19 environment are at high risk of becoming infected or sharing the virus with people who are at high risk. . The booster dose is also intended for people who suffer from certain diseases or are over 65 years old ”, informed the Minister’s Counselor.
At present, a third dose is not recommended for others due to lack of data.
“So far, there is a lack of research that shows that the general public should already be vaccinated with the booster dose. We are waiting for data, we are observing the behavior of other countries of the European Union. As you know, we are one of the first to start vaccinating risk groups, but the whole of society does not need to do so yet, ”explained A. Šuksta.
He said the public would certainly be informed of the changes and encouraged to receive a booster dose when the time came.
What vaccine to choose for the booster shot?
Another relevant question that has been raised in recent days by people preparing to receive a booster dose is which manufacturer, Pfizer or Moderna, is better choosing the vaccine.
Answering this question, the immunologist prof. Aurelija Žvirblienė stated that there is not a big difference in the choice of the vaccine, because both vaccines were made with the same RNA technology.
In particular, third doses of vaccines from both manufacturers have been tested and there is evidence that they can be used for this purpose. But here, “mixing” vaccines does not make much sense, because the effects of these vaccines are similar, not when vaccinated with vector vaccines (Vaxzevria or Janssen). In this case, it would be advantageous to use another vaccine format. According to the research, such alternation of vaccines helps to create a more sustainable immunity, “said the researcher.
Will a modern vaccine require half the dose?
At the same time, he noted that Moderna vaccine manufacturers will recommend using half the dose for the booster vaccine.
“They are testing half the dose of the vaccine for a booster shot. And what is now being sent to the US Drug Agency is half the dose of the vaccine. Therefore, it may be appropriate to use half the dose of Moderna. And since the decision has now been made in Lithuania without waiting for instructions from manufacturers and agencies, it may be better to vaccinate with the Pfizer vaccine, because they do not change the dose of the booster vaccine, ”commented A. Žvirblienė.
True, at the same time, he added that there is no need to worry if someone has already been vaccinated with a full dose of Moderna.
“There will be nothing wrong with that, but it is a fact that the manufacturer is considering a lower dose of vaccine for the booster shot,” he said.
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Who is already vaccinated with the third dose of the vaccine?
The portal tv3.lt reminds that the booster dose of Comirnaty (manufactured by BionTech and Pfizer) or Spikevax (manufactured by Moderna) will also be delivered to the following people (without priority):
– patients receiving supportive care and nursing services;
– employees of medical institutions that provide or participate in the provision of personal health care services, other employees of medical institutions, except those whose main activity is not the provision of personal health care services;
– pupils and students of vocational training institutions practicing in a medical institution and participating in the provision of personal health care services;
– staff working in mobile points and fever clinics;
– volunteers who work as volunteers in medical institutions for at least 16 hours. for no more than 14 consecutive days, and employees of other legal persons who provide cleaning, catering or other services in medical institutions and who come into contact with patients or are in the facilities they visit;
– employees of social service institutions, elderly social workers, guardians and people who live permanently with guardians, family members and people who work together or permanently together with family members, residents of social care institutions, specialists who supervise the activities of social care institutions, ongoing COVID. -19 outbreaks, employees of the State Service for the Protection of the Rights of the Child and Adoption, working families and / or visitors directly, personal assistants for the disabled, sign language interpreters and people who volunteer in social service institutions during the minus 4 pm for no more than 14 consecutive days, employees of other legal entities that provide cleaning, food supply or other services in social service institutions and who have contact with residents or visitors of these institutions and / or remain in the visited facilities by said residents or visitors;
– Laboratory personnel of public health facilities and other facilities that perform COVID-19 disease testing, including sampling;
– Specialists in epidemiological diagnosis of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks that go to COVID-19 outbreaks;
– pharmacy staff;
– drivers of municipalities (or their designees) and medical institutions that transport people who suffer or are suspected of having COVID-19;
– people over 65 years of age.
It is recalled that, in early August, Lithuania was one of the first countries in the European Union to start vaccinating people who had undergone organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplants with a third booster dose of the vaccine, as well as patients with or interrupted treatment for diseases or complications of the blood. no earlier than 24 months or actively monitored for blood diseases. The third dose was also administered to end-stage renal disease patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis).
After the third dose, the information will be generated and the validity conditions will not change in the passport of opportunity and the digital COVID certificate of the EU.
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