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 The government is shortening the interval between the first and
second doses of the Pfizer vaccine from 42 to 21 days and will allow
people who have received two doses of Pfizer to get a booster dose
three months after their second shot as opposed to six months
previously.
It will also offer the option of "mixing and matching" booster jabs,
with adults who were given one dose of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J)
vaccine being offered either a J&J or Pfizer booster two months
after their J&J shot. Adults who received two doses of Pfizer will
be allowed J&J as well as Pfizer as a third dose.
"The decision regarding which vaccine to administer as a booster
should be guided by vaccine availability," the health department
said in a statement, adding that if both vaccines were available at
a vaccination site, then using the same vaccine was preferred.
An exception could be made if the vaccinee requests a different
booster dose or has a history of experiencing an adverse event
following immunisation.
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 South Africa has recorded the most coronavirus
infections and deaths on the African continent.
It has so far fully vaccinated 28% of its
roughly 60 million population, or 42% of its 40
million adults. That is a far greater percentage
than many other African countries but well short
of government targets.
Its vaccination campaign, using the J&J and
Pfizer vaccines, got off to a slow start due to
difficulties securing early supplies, but more
recently it has been dogged by hesitancy.
(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by
Gareth Jones)
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