All the recent Covid-related deaths were of people who had not received any dose of the vaccine while the majority of those in ICU have either not received the vaccine at all or have taken only the first and second doses, a senior health official has said. "All of this shows the importance of taking the booster dose to further protect you, at least from severe infection," Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), said in a video message posted online by the MoPH. She also answered some of the most common questions about the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose.
Who is eligible for a booster dose?
Anyone who is 12 years or older and it has been six months at least since they took their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine are eligible to take the booster dose of the vaccine.
Why do people who have received two doses need a booster dose?
Scientific evidence has shown that the immunity obtained from the Covid-19 vaccine's second dose starts to decrease after six months. So, this is why it is absolutely critical that people take their booster dose to further enhance and reactivate their immune system to increase the level of immunity that they have.
Is the booster dose effective?
Recent scientific studies have shown that the third or the booster dose further enhances your immunity and can give you up to 75% protection from mild to moderate disease. "All the recent unfortunate deaths have not received any of the doses of the vaccine and the majority of those in ICU have either not taken their vaccine or taken only the first and second doses. All of this shows the importance of taking the booster dose to further protect you at least form severe infection," she stressed.
Can someone who has received the booster dose can still contract Covid-19?
Yes, you may still get mild to moderate infection. But if you are boosted, you may not need hospital care or hospital admission.
Are there any side effects related to the booster dose?
So far, more than 365,000 doses of the Covid-19 booster have been given in Qatar. Only a minor number of people have reported mild to moderate symptoms post-vaccine, like pain in the arm at the site of the injection, headaches, bodyaches while some people had some fever. But the majority had only very mild symptoms and they did not require any medical care.