Hundreds passed by Pavilion 4 at Feira Internacional de Lisboa, this Sunday morning, to take the booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine. Several say they feel more “calm” and “less worried” about the Christmas festivities after administering the vaccine.

Vaccination for a population over 50 who was given a Janssen single-dose vaccine against a covid-19 started this Sunday. In Lisbon, leaving the vaccination center, José Boavida, 60, feels “less worried”. “I had only given a single piece of Janssen and I feel calmer when I give this booster dose before Christmas. We are few, but we are still ten on Christmas Eve,” said the Campo de Ourique resident who used the taxis that the City Council of Lisbon made available free of charge for those who need to travel to the vaccination center.

Fernanda Boavida, 59, was also “calmer”. “I had taken the Janssen vaccine and read that it was less effective, so it was good to have this possibility today”, shared José’s wife who, unlike her husband, was not summoned by SMS by the health authorities and decided on the ” Home Open”. José Cotrim, 65 years old, does not feel safe with just a single dose of Janssen either. “My wife had covid-19 after giving it to Janssen,” he says.

With no queues, many also praised the speed of the vaccination process. “It was pretty quick, about five minutes plus the recovery time,” said Jorge Sousa, 61, now “less worried”. “The new micron variant worries me and I believe I will now be better protected.”

Manuel Falcão, 67 years old, gave the first two doses of the vaccine in Angola and now took advantage of a visit to Portugal to give the third. “I knew it was ‘open house’ and I came. The more booster shots we give, the more protected we are and even then you never know.”

The location of the new center of Lisbon and the closing of three others in the center of the city does not concern most users, who used the free taxis of the Câmara de Lisboa, with a few exceptions. “They should never have closed the others, it’s too bad to be so far away,” said Carlos Melo, 60, who was called up for this booster dose.

“I took Janssen in the first dose and I would have preferred to take Moderna because it is more effective. This opportunity was excellent. I no longer have the defenses of my immune system and I feel much calmer to celebrate Christmas.”

José Santos, 61, worried about the new omicron variant shared the same. “I work in a place where everyone walks around without a mask. I’m more relaxed with this dose and the vaccination center is big and has better conditions than the others”, he considered.

This Sunday was the first of four days produced – they will still be convened on the next 8th, 12th and 19th of December – of the booster dose for those over 50 years vaccinated with Janssen. Today, there was also an “open house” regime for people over 75 years old across the country.