Starting Monday, 10 Oct., the Moderna bivalent COVID vaccine will be available in Cayman as a booster shot, with anyone 18 or older eligible to be given the jab.
In a press release issued Friday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness said the COVID-19 fall booster programme will be administered using the Moderna bivalent vaccine for adults ages 18 and over, and the Pfizer vaccine for people aged 16 and 17. The Moderna bivalent vaccine will be administered as a booster only, and not as part of the primary series (first and second dose), according to the release.
Minister for Health and Wellness Sabrina Turner reminded the community to remain alert to the threat of COVID. “During the month of September, we recorded five COVID-19 deaths in our Islands,” she said.
“These losses to our community are difficult reminders that we must remain vigilant and do everything in our power to protect ourselves and our loved ones, especially the elderly and immunocompromised, as we work together to end this pandemic.”
Priority groups
The fall booster programme will be rolled out by the Public Health Department at the Health Services Authority in a phased approach to ensure that priority groups are able to get access first.
Elderly residents of care homes will have first access to the booster on Monday, followed by elderly residents ages 70+ and frontline health care workers the following week, according to the release.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Samuel Williams explained the importance of the phased approach to the shots.
“It is important that we prioritise the elderly living in care homes due to their enhanced vulnerability,” he said in the press release. “However, we must also remember that care workers providing assistance to the elderly and immunocompromised in private homes will also be encouraged to get boosted as a way to help protect those persons in their care.”
Vaccines and boosters required
Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton stressed the importance of taking all the required shots. “Research has shown us that the two doses of the vaccination in conjunction with the recommended booster doses will keep people out of the hospital, so I stress once again: get vaccinated and boosted.”
Studies have shown a decrease in COVID-19 immunity three months after a vaccine or booster dose, the release said, especially among the elderly and immunocompromised. As booster doses help to increase the body’s immune response, they also offer lasting protection against infection, the statement added.
The ministry pointed to research showing that a booster of a different vaccine causes a similar or higher antibody response than a booster of the same vaccine, noting the Moderna vaccine will therefore offer an additional benefit.
“Having access to the Moderna bivalent vaccine is an added bonus for us,” Newton said. “However, it is important to note that the original boosters remain effective against the COVID-19 variants, and research has indicated that the timeliness of when boosters are administered is more important than the type of boosters offered.”
The COVID-19 vaccination and fall booster schedule, as well as the flu vaccine schedule, is available on the HSA website. For more information, call the Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600 (toll free) or 947-3077, or email [email protected]
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