East China’s Jiangsu province has begun offering COVID-19 booster shots to people over 18 who have already been vaccinated amid rising evidence supporting the ability of an additional dose to improve immunity.Booster shots will be made available across the province for adults who have been fully vaccinated for at least six months.
Key groups will be prioritized during the initial stage, including people at higher risk of contracting the disease, such as workers in the cold chain, customs, transportation and health services sectors, as well as those who plan to travel abroad.
In addition, essential workers in the public service sector, such as police officers, community workers, elderly care and sanitation staff, will also be given priority to receive an extra dose.
Four types of vaccines will be deployed as booster shots. They are two Sinopharm inactivated vaccines, one created by the group's Beijing Institute of Biological Products and the other by its Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, one inactivated vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech, and an adenovirus vector vaccine from CanSino Biologics.
People intending to get an additional shot will be given the same vaccine made by the same company. If supplies of a particular vaccine run short, other vaccines of the same type but created by a different company can be used as an alternative, local authorities said.
