As of today, citizens in Serbia can receive 3rd dose of Covid vaccine: These are priority groups

Photo: Tanjug/AP/Darko Vojinovic

Vaccination with the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine starts today in Serbia. The so-called booster dose will be available to all vaccinated citizens who received the second dose at least 180 days ago. The first candidates for the booster dose will be those who with compromised immunity.

Recommended

These are persons with various immunodeficiency conditions, those on hemodialysis, who have received organ transplanst and are on immunosuppressive therapy, persons older than 70, those in social care institutions, gerontological centers, employees in health and social care institutions, as well as frequent passengers in international traffic.

Citizens who do not belong to these categories can also receive the third dose, provided that more than six months had passed since the second dose, and they can receive the third at personal request.

As a member of the Crisis HQ Dr. Darija Kisic Tepavcevic said earlier, it is possible to combine all vaccines with one exception  - if someone received two doses of the vaccine from the Russian manufacturer, which has the first and the second component, when it comes to the third dose they should receive the first componenta again, if they decide on the same manufacturer.

Citizens to be invited by SMS and e-mail

Citizens will be invited via SMS and e-mail messages and will receive a link that will take them to the eGovernment portal, where they will receive more detailed information. There, they will be able to see whether they belong to the categories of the population that are recommended to receive the third dose of the vaccine. Citizens should not apply on their own for the third dose, before they are contacted by eGovernment.

Citizens will inform the doctor about the final choice of the vaccine, during the examination and consultation at a vaccination point.

There are currently four types of Covid vaccines in Serbia and they are all in sufficient supply - Chinese (Sinopharm), Russian (Sputnik V) and vaccines manufactured by Pfizer/BionTech and AstraZeneca.

After receiving an invitation from eGovernment, citizens will be able to get vaccinated in all health centers throughout the Republic of Serbia, while in Belgrade, in addition to health centers, a special location will be opened in Hall 11 of the Belgrade Fair, while a list of immunization points will be available on the eGovernment portal.

Vaccination of children

According to the latest data, about 4,000 children and teenagers in Serbia have been vaccinated against coronavirus.

Photo: Shutterstock

None of them had any side effects, Mirsad Djerlek told Telegraf.rs earlier. Children who have chronic diseases, but also increasingly healthy ones, are getting vaccinated. They are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. Professionals also recommended that children aged 12 and older be vaccinated.

Schools are ready for students, but decision of Crisis HQ is awaited

The Ministry of Education is waiting for the decision of the Crisis HQ on how classes will be organized from September 1, while directors of schools in Belgrade say that they are ready to start the school year normally, but are also ready for teaching models dictated by the epidemiological situation.

School heads expect to know more on Friday and are appealing on parents and students to wait for the word from the Crisis HQ, which will make a recommendation in the best interest of everyone.

So far, as they say, they have only received a conclusion from the relevant Ministry according to which schools should strongly promote the importance of vaccination, in order to vaccinate students.

Association: There was no need earlier

Analyzing the current epidemiological situation around the world and having in mind the characteristics of the new strain of coronavirus, the Pediatric Association of Serbia pointed out that the situation until recently did not make children and youth a priority in the vaccination process.

"This recommendation was based on the experience that children were less likely to get sick than adults, that they had mostly mild or asymptomatic forms of the disease and that they were not super carriers of Covid 19. Accordingly, the priority was to vaccinate the elderly population. Since the data related to the new (mutated) strain of Covid 19 shows a higher incidence of the disease in children and younger people than before, as well as a somewhat more severe clinical picture in this population, but also significantly easier and faster transmission to the elderly, the Serbian Pediatric Association recommends to vaccinate children over 12.

This especially refers to categories at danger, children who are at risk of developing severe forms of Covid 19 due to basic (chronic) diseases (including diabetics and obese children)," said the president of the Association, Professor Dr. Georgios Konstantinidis.

(Telegraf.rs)