Kazakhstani Health System Needs to Clarify Vaccination Details

On May 18 Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin ordered the Minister of Health to clarify how long people have to wait between their shots of the vaccine.

According to Alexey Tsoy, minister of health, the interval between the first and the second doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 may vary from 21 to 90 days.

The prime minister believes that the country has to intensify the vaccination campaign in each region. Heads of local administrations were appointed as responsible for the task.

«Those who want to get a vaccine should have a choice of a vaccine and all relevant information as well. The Ministry of Health must decide how long the interval between two shots should last. The agency must provide feedback to any requests and wishes from the people,» the prime minister stated.

As the health minister noted, the chief sanitary doctor has changed the rules. Now, the second dose of the Sputnik V vaccine might be taken over a period between 21 and 90 days after the first shot.

According to Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Research Center, those who took the first shot should wait more than three weeks. Such a long interval doesn’t affect the efficacy of the vaccine and in some cases can improve it, scientists said.

In April, Askar Mamin ordered health officials to vaccinate more than two million people. Moreover, the government plans to cover with a vaccine about ten million Kazakhstanis by the beginning of the fall.