Your Covid-19 questions answered

How long should immunocompromised individuals wait before they get a booster shot?

People who have been vaccinated with one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can now get two Covid-19 vaccine boosters.
People who have been vaccinated with one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can now get two Covid-19 vaccine boosters.
Image: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/ File photo

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says immunocompromised individuals can get their Covid-19 booster shots 28 days after receiving their J&J vaccine or second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

This should be done with the advice of a medical professional who needs to clear them for a booster shot.

The NICD said the booster dose should be the same as the initial vaccine dose.

This means if vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer jab, they should get a booster shot of the same vaccine, not the J&J. 

Who is considered immunocompromised?

The NICD said individuals who are considered immunocompromised have haematological or immune malignancy, moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency disorder, HIV infection with a CD4 count of less than 200 and asplenia, among other conditions. 

A recently published circular by the department of health states that from March 14 everyone who was vaccinated with one shot of J&J can get two boosters.

The first booster can be administered two months or 60 days after the first J&J shot and the second one three months or 90 days after the first booster.

Mixing and matching vaccines is allowed. This means if you received one J&J vaccine, you can get two Pfizer booster shots. 

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