COVID-19 vaccine immunity lasts only 9 months after second dose

Tribune News Network Doha The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has changed the vaccine validity of COVID-19 immunity from 12 months to 9 months following t...

Tribune News NetworkDohaThe Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has changed the vaccine validity of COVID-19 immunity from 12 months to 9 months following the second dose.The move came after medical evidence clearly suggested that protective immunity from COVID-19 infection begins to decline six months after the second dose of an approved vaccine. “The State of Qatar, in order to ensure the health and safety of the population, has changed the vaccine validity of COVID-19 immunity from 12 months to 9 months following the second dose,” the MoPH said in a statement.The change will come into effect on February 1, 2022. And this would mean that individuals who were given second COVID-19 vaccine dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca more than 9 months ago on February 1 will be considered unvaccinated and will lose their Gold Frame (immunized) status on Ehteraz. Receiving a booster vaccine dose will reinstate their Gold Frame status for a further nine months. This aligns Qatar with the protective actions being taken by other countries in the region and the world to address the ongoing pandemic.Following the detection of the first Omicron cases in Qatar, in addition to the increase in new COVID-19 daily cases over the past two months, the ministry warned that this is a critical period in the fight against the virus. Therefore, it is vitally important that all eligible members of the community get their booster vaccine without delay. The ministry stated that recent studies show booster doses to be effective in preventing severe infection against the Omicron variant as well as other circulating variants.Booster doses are being administered to individuals who had their second dose more than six months ago. Till date more than 240,000 booster vaccine doses have safely been administered in Qatar, with no severe side effects reported.People whose second dose was more than 9 months ago will lose their Gold Frame status on Ehteraz