Pfizer Covid-19 booster shots get the nod in SA

SAHPRA confirmed that it had approved the "optional third (booster) dose" of the Covid-19 vaccine after Pfizer had applied for approval.

December 08, 2021 at 06:36 pm

Local researchers from the University Of Cape Town (UCT) are upbeat that they may have made a breakthrough that will pave a way for the new vaccine development that may outmanoeuvre the complex germ. (Alaister Russell/The Sunday Times)

Pfizer Covid-19 booster shots have been given the go-ahead for people older than 18.

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that it had approved the “optional third (booster) dose” of the Covid-19 vaccine after the company applied for approval.

SAHPRA said that it had approved:

A third dose of the Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine in individuals aged 18 years and older, to be administered at least six months after the second dose.
A third dose of the Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine in individuals aged 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised, to be administered at least 28 days after the second dose.

However, the authority said the data only dealt with boosters for the same brand of vaccine, meaning that there will be no “mix-and-match” of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer shots.

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