By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE elderly and immunocompromised people can now receive a third primary dose of a Covid-19 vaccine based on interim recommendations from the World Health Organization WHO.
This was announced by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh on Saturday at the Ministry of Health’s virtual media conference.
Deyalsingh gave details as to who should receive the third primary dose asking that it not be referred to as “a booster shot.”
He also referred to Saturday as an exciting and positive day in the short history of the Covid-19 vaccine.
These additional shots will be given from Monday, he said and will apply to all those who have already received either the full two-dose or single-dose vaccines meaning they were already deemed fully vaccinated.
He dissected the vaccine groups into two – Sinopharm and the other types which consist of the AstraZeneca, the single-dose Johnson and Johnson, and the Pfizer, the only vaccine approved for children age 12 and over.
Referring to the Sinopharm vaccine, Deyalsingh said two groups of people will receive the additional dose and that was for persons over 60 regardless of health or disease status and those with health challenges regardless of age.
For the second group receiving the third primary shot of the Sinopharm vaccine, he said, “Regardless of age, if you are moderately to severely immunocompromised, you can also access your third primary shot of Sinopharm vaccine as per WHO protocols.”
There were five main categories of persons with ill health status who should consider getting a third shot of the Sinopharm vaccine.
These were those who have active cancer, persons who were transplant recipients even if the transplant was done abroad, those who suffer from immunodeficiency, HIV Aids individuals and those on immunosuppressive therapy Deyalsingh listed.
He said, “If you fall into any one of the five categories, as determined by your physician, with a referral letter, you can access your third shot.”
The timeframe for receiving the third dose is anytime between three to six months after the second dose or as “ humanly possible” the minister said.
Deyalsingh said all the health categories identified for the Sinopharm vaccine was also applicable to the other three Covid-19 vaccines available in Trinidad and Tobago.
With the exception of the Pfizer vaccine, an additional dose will be available for persons 18 years and over for AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson and for Pfizer, if a person is 12 years and older, the third shot can be administered if the individual also had compromising health issues, the minister explained.
Deyalsingh said, “The standard practice as outlined by WHO in the interim guidelines is for as far as humanly possible is… if you got Sinopharm, you take Sinopharm as your additional primary dose. If you are a recipient of a Pfizer vaccine for those 12 and over, you will be eligible if you are moderately to severely immunocompromised for your third Pfizer shot. If you are a Johnson and Johnson recipient over the age of 18, you will get your second additional primary shot for Johnson and Johnson.”
The only exception was explained by Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasaram.
He said recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine can be given a third dose of the Pfizer if there was a shortage of the AstraZeneca as WHO has approved, but for now, a third dose of AstraZeneca will continue to be administered.
“We have to be careful when we make that decision that we have enough stock of Pfizer to back up the first dose as well,” he said.
Dr Parasarm also said that pregnant women who were immunocompromised will be treated as a normal immunocompromised patient and such women can have a third primary dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Administration of the third primary shot
Deyalsingh said most patients would already be in the public healthcare system. If someone was receiving private medical care, those patients must present a referral letter from the attending physician at the vaccination sites “ to determine the suitability to receive the extra additional primary dose.”
“Certain groups will be given additional primary doses at specific sites, so they do not have to bring in a letter because we know them,” he said.
Those sites will be the clinical areas where they already go for treatment.
“For example, the people who are kidney transplant recipients, we know we have about 100 in our public health system, they will be dealt with, they don’t have to bring in letters. Most of the patients with HIV/ AIDS, they are in the public heath system so they don’t have to bring letters. Patients with Lupus in the public health system you will be dealt with,” Deyalsingh said.
He continued, “The same thing will go for the cancer patients in the public health system. You don’t have to seek out the vaccine, we know you. The vaccines will be brought to you. And that is how we will deal with the major amount of the persons who qualify for these additional primary shots.”
Dialysis patients also formed part of those categories.
He said there were about 20,000 people moderately or severely compromised who will be eligible for the third dose. These include about 150 transplant patients, 100 to 300 with Lupus, 3,000 to 5,000 with cancer, 2,000 dialysis patients, 10,000 with HIV/AIDS and 2,000 other immunocompromised people.
Persons over 60 who received the Sinopharm vaccine will be called by the regional health authorities, to make an appointment for the third primary shot.
The minister said, “Don’t appear at the site from Monday. You will be called, We have the database of your name, your numbers, your ages. We are going to make it convenient for you. We don’t want you to be waiting there a long time.”
