All 60+ eligible for booster jab

Hyderabad: Who is eligible for the booster dose of vaccine and who is not? This was the issue which has been causing a great confusion among the senior citizens. The reason for this confusion was because the guidelines issued by the Centre said that the booster dose of vaccine would be first given to Healthcare Workers (HCW), Frontline Workers (FLW) and those who are above 60 with comorbidities. Many of the senior citizens who are 60 plus have been receiving SMS on their mobile phones saying, "You are eligible and may avail precaution dose after medical advice. Please visit Cowin.gov.in." When people visited the site, it said citizens aged 60 years or more and having comorbidities should take precautionary the dose after medical advice.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr Mohammed Abdul Mohi Siddiqui, Additional Resident Medical Officer (RMO) said, senior citizens who are 60 plus years and have completed 39 weeks (9 months) from the second dose even without comorbidities can take the precautionary dose. He said that all senior citizens without comorbidities can directly visit the vaccination centres with their registered mobile number and can take the precautionary dose after consulting the doctors available at the centre from 9 am to 5 pm.

After verifying the mobile number enrolled in the Cowin portal, a final vaccination certificate for all the three doses would be issued, he said.

Additional Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of the Government Osmania General Hospital added that those who had taken both doses should ensure that they opt only for the vaccine which they had taken in the past. If they had taken Covaxin, the third dose should also be Covaxin. If they had taken Covishield, they should get Covishield only.