By Sue-Ann Wayow
CHIEF Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram continues to recommend that elderly and immunocompromised persons receive a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
However, for the general vaccinated population, deliberations were still being made if a fourth dose should be administered.
Dr Parasram was answering questions from the media at the Ministry of Health’s virtual media conference on Wednesday.
He said, “If you have a primary series which is an additional dose, do you need to have a booster and the answer is yes. For example, if you had three Sinopharm, then you will want to have a booster, six months after your final third dose, similar for any other type of vaccine.
“The name implies, primary additional dose. It means that it allows you to build the requisite protection, that is afforded for other individuals.”
He said some countries have already begun giving a fourth dose to their population including Israel, and Pfizer had also issued a statement saying a fourth dose may be required.
However, as far as he was aware, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet solidified on that approval.
Dr Parasram said, “We look at the data that is coming out of those countries that have begun to do fourth dosing. It is very unpredictable in terms of Omicron and how it is going forward to determine if we will need a fourth dose, if and when and certainly timing.”
He added, “What we have to look at is the length of time our immune response has been lasting with three doses and I suppose only time will tell how long it will last. It will take some time to ascertain that even in Trinidad and Tobago.”
The CMO said antibody studies were being conducted locally to determine how long the immunity lasts and but the data was not yet complete.
