BOOSTER SHOT NEEDED

MoH ready as Johnson & Johnson vaccine may require second dose

Botswana has so far secured more than one million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine that would cater for booster shots in the short to medium term, if such a need arises, the Ministry of Health and Wellness says.

The US manufacturer, Johnson and Johnson last Friday announced that the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for a booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 and older at least two months following initial vaccination with the single-shot vaccine.

In an interview with The Midweek Sun, Ministry of Health and Wellness Spokesperson, Dr Christopher Nyanga says while more than a million doses of the vaccine have been secured, only 158 400 have been delivered to the country. “It will therefore be possible to cater for booster shots in the short to medium term, if such were to be immediately required,” Dr Nyanga says. So far, about 150 000 people have already received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in Botswana. Dr Nyanga explained that currently, however, the focus of Botswana’s vaccination process is to ensure that all adult population receive Covid-19 vaccination.

“The Ministry is aware of ongoing research and expert opinions expressed in the scientific community that there may be a need for booster shots, including lately, for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine,” Nyanga adds. He further notes that the Ministry will keep an eye on the issue, and will at the right time, and on the basis of expert advice, consider whether it should offer booster doses or not. Dr Nyanga says if the booster shot is approved, it would not imply that the initial first shot does not provide enough protection against Covid-19. He says the issue of Covid-19 booster shots has always been an agenda item in the Covid-19 research community. “It does not mean that current Covid-19 vaccines do not provide enough protection against the disease. Research has so far proved that vaccines do protect people against severe disease symptoms, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19. “However, there are also indications within ongoing research that some people who received Covid-19 vaccination may in future require booster doses when the protection given by the previous shot or shots, would have begun to decrease,” Dr Nyanga explains. The decision to consider the booster dose was based on the totality of evidence, with clinical and real-world data showing that while a single shot offers strong and long-lasting protection against Covid-19, a booster given after the single-dose primary vaccination increases protection, in particular against symptomatic Covid-19. Johnson and Johnson anticipates a decision from the FDA on the EUA amendment for a booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine soon, and there are plans to submit relevant data to other regulators, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) worldwide to inform decisionmaking on local vaccine administration strategies, as needed.