From Thursday, 2 December, Covid-19 booster shot service will be organised in accordance with the latest recommendations from the National Immunisation Council: in addition to previously outlined groups of residents, booster shots are recommended to all residents aged 40 years or older.
Booster shots are also available to residents aged 18 to 39 years, as confirmed by Latvian National Health Service (NVD).
Booster shots for residents who received Vaxzevria (prev. AstraZeneca) vaccine:
Booster shots against Covid-19 are available to all residents aged 18 years or older if 5 months have passed since the second jab.
Booster shots for residents who received Janssen vaccine:
Booster shots against Covid-19 are available for all residents aged 18 years or older if 8 weeks have passed since the original jab.
Booster shots for residents who received mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty and Moderna):
Booster shots are available to all residents aged 18 years or older if 6 months have passed since the second jab.
Booster shots for residents who received Janssen vaccine and have recovered from the infection:
Residents who received one jab and were tested positive for SARS CoV-2 are recommended to receive a booster shot after 6 months of receiving the original jab or recovery, depending on which was last.
Booster shots against Covid-19 are not necessary (aside from people with weakened immune system) for people who were tested positive for Covid-19 before, after or between two jabs of any Covid-19 vaccine (except Janssen).
Read also: Latvia’s National Immunisation Council approves Covid-19 vaccination of 5 to 11 year old children
National Health Service’s Vaccination Project Office manager Eva Juhņēviča reminds that vaccination of residents aged 60 years or older remains highly important, as is the provision of booster shots to persons with weakened immune system and social care centres.
«Booster shots will become available for all persons aged 18 years or older from 2 December onward. We are prepared for new changes. Additionally, we continue expanding information available in the Vaccination Guide, which is a source of information for medical workers performing vaccination services. We also inform vaccination service providers about the latest recommendations from the National Immunisation Council,» stresses Eva Juhņēviča.
How to sign up for a booster shot in Latvia
Residents in Latvia can sign up using Manavakcina.lv or by calling 8989 or wait in a queue outside vaccination centres, vaccination locations at supermarkets or mobile vaccination buses. Booster shots are also provided by general practitioners.
Digital certificates issued after residents complete the initial vaccination course will remain valid. The new digital certificate will include information regarding booster shots. The certificate itself will become valid on the 15th day after receiving the booster shot. Both the old and updated certificate will be valid.
The point of booster shots is preventing hospitalisation, severe infection cases and lethal outcomes in groups that are proven not not have sufficient protection against the virus after initial vaccination (patients with weakened immune system, residents aged 65 years or older, tenants of social and nursery homes, patients suffering from chronic illnesses).
Covid-19 vaccine booster shots available to everyone in Latvia
