Azerbaijani MP: Booster dose can prevent infections, reduce COVID mortality

To protect the citizens' health from the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, under the leadership and care of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, flexible and systematic preventive measures have been taken to hinder the spread of the virus, Chairman of the Health Committee of the Azerbaijani Parliament, academician Ahliman Amiraslanov told Report.

According to him, the work done during the coronavirus pandemic, including the opening of new medical facilities, clearly manifests the country's health situation.

"The fund of hospitals and medical institutions now almost meets the highest standards. The increase in the level of healthcare in our country has been made possible by applying the latest scientific and technological innovations. The fact that the country's health care system could adequately tackle the pandemic fully reflects the reality. As a result of the state policy and the growing responsibility of citizens, the situation with the coronavirus in Azerbaijan is under control today. One of the measures to combat the pandemic is vaccination. The process of coronavirus vaccination in our country began in January and continues successfully. The importance of vaccination is to protect against the disease by achieving immunity in the body against the infection, limiting the transmission of infection, and preventing death. Participation in vaccination is already an integral indicator of civic responsibility. Everyone should be vaccinated to protect others."

The chairman of the parliamentary committee said that today the population can choose between four vaccines.

"As part of the vaccination campaign in our country, more than 9 million doses of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sputnik vaccines have been administered. Each of them is effective and safe. Complications of the pandemic can affect people of all ages. Young and healthy people can also be infected with the COVID-19 virus. Although the disease is asymptomatic and mild among young people, it can affect other people around them. The participation of unvaccinated people in public events endangers people's lives. Irresponsible steps threaten the future of society, destroying the work done and the money spent."

Amiraslanov stressed that the trends observed in the world make it necessary to improve the ways to combating COVID-19 and take advanced measures.

"The level of protection that reaches a maximum shortly after vaccination may weaken over time. The booster (third) dose of the vaccine aims to reactivate the immune response and thus increase the vaccine effectiveness. The booster dose can prevent mild infections and reduce the spread of the virus, as well as hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19. The third dose boosts antibodies three times more than previous doses. These antibodies are strong against coronavirus strains. According to the Israeli Health Ministry, side effects after taking the booster dose are rare, and they do not differ from the symptoms that appear after the first and second injections. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK National Health Service, the use of a booster dose is important for people at risk. The risk group includes the elderly and people with underlying diseases, living or working in high-risk environments. In this regard, the use of a third dose of the vaccine is deemed necessary."