New Zealand proposes third COVID-19 vaccine dose for immunocompromised

A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that has been recommended for severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and older is now available to be accessed. Individuals who are severely immunocompromised are at a higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 and might not produce a sufficiently strong immune response after two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. A third primary dose may be beneficial and can be administered at least eight weeks after the second dose, according to the COVID-19 Vaccination and Immunisation Programme. It has also been mentioned that the eligibility criteria to access a third primary dose is complex and applies to only the group of people who are severely immunocompromised. Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria will need to be prescribed a third dose by their GP or other specialist and present the script when accessing the third primary dose. The COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group (CV-TAG) carefully considered a number of studies in order to make this recommendation for this group. The Ministry of Health has published the eligibility requirements that must be met to qualify for a third primary dose. CV-TAG is constantly reviewing the emerging research on booster vaccines, and a recommendation on whether a booster should be offered will be made in the coming months.