Romania begins vaccinations with fourth dose of COVID vaccine

Romania has started administering the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine although international health organizations haven't issued recommendations on the need for a fourth dose yet. More than half of Romanians are unvaccinated and only one in ten Romanians have taken the booster shot.

Romanians can get their second booster (4th dose) of the COVID vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, starting May 16, 2022. To beeligible, those willing to get the fourth dose must: be at least four months away from when they had the first booster (3rd dose), be over 18 years old, and have had at least one mRNA dose previously.

The fourth shot will be administered in vaccination centers and family medicine practices around Romania, and will only be done with the Comirnaty vaccine produced by Pfizer. It is important to note that most vaccination centers that are still operating are located in hospitals. After July 1, COVID-19 vaccinations will be conducted solely in family medicine practices. To schedule an appointment, people who want the second booster must address vaccination centers and family medicine practices directly, without going through the vaccination platform.

According to Romania’s Health Ministry, the fourth dose is recommended for those over 60 years old, but anyone over 18 can get it. The fourth shot is also accompanied by a certificate attesting to additional immunization.

The Romanian authorities do not recommend vaccination with a fourth dose for people who were previously vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.

There are mixed opinions worldwide over the necessity of a fourth dose. So far, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have maintained their recommendation that only those above 80 years of age should get a fourth shot of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

“There is currently no clear evidence in the EU that vaccine protection against severe disease is waning substantially in adults with normal immune systems,” the ECDC and the EMA noted in theirjoint press release, “and thus no clear evidence to support the immediate use of a fourth dose.” At the same time, the two agencies highlighted that governments may want to wait for updated vaccines to restart their vaccination campaigns in the autumn.