KRG, Iraqi government authorize administering of COVID-19 booster jabs

The decision comes as the world faces a newly mutated variant of the highly infectious disease known as Omicron. 
A health care worker administer COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation centre in Erbil, August 7, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)
A health care worker administer COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation centre in Erbil, August 7, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government both authorized the administering of COVID-19 booster jabs on Tuesday, officials announced. 

The Kurdistan Region will begin administering an additional COVID-19 jab after the first two doses have been administered, Saman Barzinji, the KRG health minister, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

Earlier the same day, the Iraqi Health Ministry also announced that it had authorized the administering of booster jabs for high-risk groups, including citizens with chronic diseases, people over 60 years old, and health care workers, for no less than six months after receiving the second jab, the Iraqi News Agency reported. 

Any of the existing World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines can be administered as the third booster jab, the Iraqi ministry added. 

Also, a recipient of a booster jab can receive a different vaccine than the one used for their first two jabs, the ministry added. 

The decision comes as the world faces a newly mutated variant of the highly infectious disease known as Omicron. 

Earlier Tuesday, Barzinji told a press conference that health authorities in the Kurdistan Region have not yet detected any case of the new strain, adding they would monitor those traveling into the autonomous region. 

Read More: KRG monitoring travelers for new Omicron COVID-19 variant, says health minister

The Kurdistan Region recently announced that over 600,000 citizens have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, citing official figures. 

Read More: Over 600,000 in Kurdistan Region fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Health scientists are worried that the newly mutated variant might evade vaccine-induced antibodies against the contagion.