Kurdistan Region authorizes COVID-19 booster shots as infections surge 

The booster shots are administered for those aged 18 years or older, according to the statement. 
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 Region’s health authorities authorized booster shots for residents who have received two jabs of COVID-19 vaccines amid rising infections. 

The decision comes as the Region has recently seen a surge in coronavirus infections, with about 1,400 people testing positive for the virus each day, according to official figures from the health authorities.

The booster shots are intended to boost the immunity of those who have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Health Ministry, a copy of which was shared with Kurdistan 24. 

The booster shots are administered for those aged 18 years or older, according to the statement. 

Similarly, the Iraqi Health Ministry has recently decided to provide booster shots. 

The recent surge comes after Iraqi and Kurdistan Region medical authorities have previously reported cases of the new coronavirus variant, dubbed omicron.

Those over 12-year-old are eligible for vaccination in the Kurdistan Region, which began its immunization drive in early 2021. Pfizer-BioNtech, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm are the three available vaccine brands in the Kurdish region.

Over one million people have received a dose of one of the vaccines, while only just above 800,000 individuals have received two jabs, according to the official tally from the Region’s officials.

Since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the autonomous region has seen more than 403,000 infections, over 7,000 cases of which have been fatal.