The Ministry of Health is encouraging those who have received their first AstraZeneca jab to make themselves available for second jab.

The second jab will be administered 10 to 12 weeks after receiving the first shot.

Head of COVID-19 Vaccination Taskforce, Dr Rachel Devi says it is necessary for Fijians to receive the second jab and they’ve set aside 50,000 doses to cater for those who have received their first jab.

Dr Devi says the turnout today exceeded their expectation and they are grateful for the enthusiasm shown by Fijians.

“The past five days we’ve had very good response not just at the Vodafone arena but right across the country. I think we’ve had hundreds of turnout to all of them and we’ve been doing really well.”

The Ministry is close to reaching its 50,000 vaccination target and is likely to fully exhaust the remaining dosages at the end of the day.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong had earlier confirmed that if they reach their target today, there will be no public vaccination tomorrow.