20 Feb 2022

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test, will no longer be required at ports of entry, if one has been fully vaccinated. 

In an interview with BOPA, the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Public Relations Officer, Dr Christopher Nyanga said once one had taken all the required vaccines, including a booster shot, then there would be no need to have a PCR, as had been the requirement all along. 

That, he said, would reduce travellers’ woes, as most complained about PCR tests prices. Dr Nyanga said about 347 000 people would be due for COVID-19 booster shots by the end of February.

“Of this number, 102 306 people had taken their booster shots as of 14 February,”he noted.

He said people of all age groups had not been too keen to take booster shots, but it was mostly those who were the first to take COVID-19 vaccines at the inception of the national vaccination programme. 

He however said though the ministry had not conducted any survey on the issue, there were suspicions that since the Omicron variant had been relatively mild, many people might not see the urgency to go for booster shots. 

He said as with every other medicine, COVID-19 booster shots have expiry dates, so if people who were due for vaccination did not turn up for their second doses or booster shots, some vaccines could end up expiring before being used. 

He therefore encouraged all those due for booster doses to turn up for them because it was in their interest to do so, stressing that vaccination had proven to be effective in reducing possibilities of severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death, for those infected. ends