Covid-19 boosters: Everything you need to know

Feeling a little confused after the latest call for a booster? We’re here to help you out. Be it with PCR tests, the latest mask regulations, and the all-important Covid-19 booster shot, we’ve got you covered. Here are the answers to your Covid-19 booster questions.

What is the Covid-19 booster shot?

Well, the Covid-19 booster shot is the same formulation as the existing vaccine you would have received. In the case of the Moderna vaccine, the booster shot is half the dose of your original shots.

How long after your original vaccine can you get the Covid-19 booster?

You can only get the booster shot six months after your second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna. Clinical trials have shown that you can get the booster shot two months after Johnson & Johnson. If you have had an organ transplant, your booster can be administered one month after the second dose.

What Covid-19 vaccine options do you have in Saudi Arabia right now?

Pfizer-BioNTech (two doses), Oxford-AstraZeneca (two doses) and Moderna (two doses). If you received two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines, you are allowed into the country but must receive a booster dose of one of the approved vaccines. The booster shot could also be from Johnson & Johnson.

Where are the approved Covid-19 vaccination centres in Saudi Arabia?

Al Habib hospital
Al Jazeera Health Center
Al-Masif Health Center
Al-Nadwa Health Center
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Diriyah Hospital
Gulf Health Center
Hilton Hotel
Imam University
King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard
King Saud University
Mouwasat Hospital
Mansoura Health Center
Prince Sultan Health Center in Ahmadia
Security Forces Hospital in Salboukh

How can you book the Covid-19 booster shot?

You can book your appointment through the Tawakkalna and Sehhati apps.

**Do you have to get the Covid-19 booster shot?**

As of February 1, 2022, adults will need to have the booster eight months after they have been double jabbed so that they can maintain their vaccinated status. If individuals do not have the vaccinated status, they will not be able to partake in a variety of activities across the country. That means no cultural, sports or tourist activities. You will also not be able to enter government or private establishments, and you will also not be able to travel on planes or public transport.

Isn’t the original Covid-19 vaccination enough?

As concern grows over the Omricon variant, which has spread to more than sixty countries, health ministers are encouraging the public to get the Covid-19 booster shot. The vaccine jabs you’ve already received are working well against severe illness, mass hospitalisation and death. But scientists have warned that the efficiency of the first two doses of the vaccine (or a single shot of Johnson & Johnson) will begin to wear off, which is why you are encouraged to get a Covid-19 booster shot.

How long does it take for the Covid-19 booster to be effective?

Recent studies have shown that you will have protection after one to two weeks from taking the booster jab. Trials have also revealed that a Pfizer booster offers high levels of protection against the Omricon variant.

What is the second booster for?

The second COVID-19 booster vaccine improves protection against severe cases and has so far only been released for the immunocompromised.

Who can get the second booster shot?

The six categories eligible to receive the booster are “kidney failure patients, bone marrow transplant patients who have had a transplant within the past two years, patients who are currently receiving immunosuppressive drugs, active cancer patients who are under treatment, patients who suffer from advanced or untreated immunodeficiency diseases such as HIV, AIDS, and more. Organ transplant patients who are currently receiving immunosuppressive drugs are also eligible to be quadruple-jabbed.”