Advice on 4th jab announced

May 20, 2022

Adults aged 18 to 59 may choose to get their fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after getting the third jab, the Government announced.

 

The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases, joined by the Chief Executive’s expert advisory panel, today published the updated consensus interim recommendations on the use of the fourth jab after a meeting yesterday.

 

Noting that local data showed that three doses of the BioNTech or the Sinovac vaccine are highly effective for months against severe disease and death, the advisers considered that a fourth shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in younger populations may provide transient additional protection against infection and symptomatic diseases.

 

Based on the advice, uninfected individuals aged 18 to 59 who are at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure or with personal needs, such as those studying abroad or fulfilling a requirement for overseas travel, may choose to get their fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least six months from the third dose after considering the individual risk and benefit.

 

Such an approach would also be applied to recovered adults in the same age group, the Government added.

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