Kazakhstan opens way for revaccination with Pfizer

As herd immunity in Kazakhstan has become a reality, the government decided to lift any limitations for vaccination and revaccination with Pfizer’s vaccine for all categories of citizens in the country.

According to Eraly Tugzhanov, deputy prime minister of Kazakhstan, the decision regarding overall vaccination is a result of three prior stages. In the first stage, the vaccination with Pfizer covered pregnant women, teenagers and those who headed abroad. In the second stage, the country’s health system started to vaccinate elderly people over age 60 and then over 50.

«Today more than 10 million people in Kazakhstan are fully vaccinated. This is about 80% of those eligible for the vaccination and 52% of the entire population. In other words, herd immunity in Kazakhstan is a reality. That’s why we have decided to give our people the opportunity to get revaccinated with Pfizer to keep this herd immunity further. There were many requests for that move,» the official said.

Responding to a question about the expiration date of the vaccine, Tugzhanov noted that the Pfizer vaccine is best before August.

Kazakhstan bought the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 in November 2021. Initially, the vaccine was available for certain groups of people. Also, the government planned to sell the vaccine to all who wanted to get vaccinated but dropped this plan soon after.