People who received the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are now being offered a booster in Barbados.
The boosters were officially rolled out yesterday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for their frontline workers, but co-coordinator of the National Vaccination Programme, Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand, said they were not mandatory.
During a national press conference today, she said the booster would be offered to those over 70 years of age, immunocompromised people and frontline workers.
They will be administered daily at the dedicated site of the Masonic Lodge in Salters, St George, but will also be offered at other vaccination sites and private doctors engaged in the vaccination programme.
Currently, there are approximately 45 000 AstraZeneca doses left on island to be administered for boosters, and first and second doses. However, 15 000 doses are set to expire at the end of this month, and another 30 000 will expire at the end of December. (RA)
