How and where to get your free booster shot in Pakistan

The fifth wave of Covid-19 has recently emerged all over Pakistan. Authorities have urged citizens to get vaccination completely and follow strict SOPs. Those who completed two doses of the vaccine can get booster shots from designated centres.

Eligibility of booster shot

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), health personnel, citizens who are above aged 30, and those children who are above age 12 and have weak immune systems can receive booster shots.

It is important to note for those people who want to get a booster shot, the gap between the second dose of vaccine and booster shot should be more than six months.

Which vaccine you can choose?

People can choose booster shots of their choice from four available vaccines which are Sinopharm, Sinovac, Moderna, and Pfizer.  

 Director-General of Ministry of National Health Service, Dr Rana Safdar said, “mix and match has been allowed or booster of the same company, which was administered earlier, can be given as per the choice of the people.”

Here, the term “mix and match” means those people who had been vaccinated with another vaccine, can get booster shots from the different manufacturing companies.

Where people can receive booster shots?

Sindh:

The media coordinator of the Provincial Health Department, Mehar Khursheed told that people can get booster shots from any vaccination centre in the province. People need to take their vaccination cards and the National Identity cards to get shot in the vaccination centre.

Punjab:

According to the spokesperson for the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, doses for booster shots are available in all approved district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) and tehsil headquarters hospitals (THQs).

Balochistan

The administration of booster shots had started already from December 30 according to the Provincial Coronavirus cell in charge Dr Naqeebullah. The facility of booster shots is available at 96 vaccination centres in the province. He notified that the people who got the dose for booster were all above aged 30 with six month time period gap from the second dose of vaccination.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Director-General Health Department Niaz Mohammad said that all approved vaccines are available to vaccination across the province for booster shots. People need to take their vaccination cards to get a dose of the booster.

Islamabad

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Sajid Shah, all Chinese manufacturing vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac are available in all vaccination centres for booster shots however for other vaccines Moderna and Pfizer are available in mass vaccination centres.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Divisional Monitoring Officer for Covid-19 Vaccination, Shafaq Malik said that people can get booster shots from any of the approved vaccines available at currently 142 centres in the region.