CIU Academician Assist. Prof. Dr. Ender Volkan Çınar made a statement in relation to the 3rd dose of the vaccine

Cyprus International University (CIU) Faculty of Pharmacy Vice Dean and Microbiologist Assist. Prof. Dr. Ender Volkan Çınar, stating that those who have had 2 doses of the Sinovac vaccination will continue on to have the 3rd dose administered, advised that it is preferable that it is offered to all age groups who have had the Sinovac vaccination, and to carry out the application with EMA/FDA approved vaccines that are frequently used globally.

Sharing the statement made by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in relation to the effects of the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines upon the patients, Çınar went on to say, “They are advising that anyone who is over 65, and/or are over the age of 18 and have an occupational risk, and/or have health issues and have had the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines over 6 months ago, should have the 3rd vaccination”.

Outlining that it has also been advised for individuals who have had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over 2 months ago to have another dose of the vaccine, Assist. Prof. Dr. Çınar continued, “In the statement released by the CDC, it noted that the type of vaccine for the additional dose is down to the individual”.

Çınar highlighted that the opportunity should be created so the additional doses of vaccines could be administered for the citizens who meet the above criteria across the country as soon as possible and that it’s important that this information is shared with the public transparently.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Çınar went on to advise that sharing the criteria of the additional dose transparently will not only reduce the disinformation but will also increase the effective level of vaccinations.

Noting that international authorities are yet to make a statement in relation to the status of administering the 3rd dose vaccination for those who have received a full dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, Çınar elaborated, “However, some countries, including England, are presenting mRNA-based vaccines as the 3rd dose to people who have received the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, 6 months after their last vaccination”.

Explaining that the results from studies carried out by the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine upon children aged 5-11 years and those carried out by the Moderna company upon children aged 6-11 years are promising, Assist. Prof. Dr. Çınar concluded, “We may very soon receive authorization to vaccinate our children. The initiative to provide low-dose vaccines for our children to begin simultaneously with the approval is essential”.