By Corina Tan
Photo: Getty Images
The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has given an option for a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine booster to be administered to senior citizens 60 years old and above with comorbidities. Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said that the decision to roll out the administration of the second booster was made after the Technical Working Group looked into scientific and cohort studies of people aged 60 and above with chronic illnesses who are at high risk of developing severe symptoms or death due to Covid-19. The decision to provide the second booster was also made after considering the experiences of other countries dealing with highly contagious variants in their battle against the spread of Covid-19.
The ministry decided that those eligible for the second booster dose are senior citizens aged 60 and above with chronic respiratory disease, chronic heart disease or vascular disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, chronic neurological disease, diabetes mellitus and other endocrine disorders, asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen, individuals with a body mass index of over 40 and those with severe mental illness.
Kenyataan Media Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
Mekanisma Pelaksanaan Pemberian Dos Penggalak Kedua Bagi Warga Emas Berumur 60 Tahun Dan Ke Atas, Dos Tambahan Bagi Remaja Yang Berisiko Tinggi Dan Pemberian Dos Penggalak Kedua Bagi Individu Yang Ingin ke Luar Negara pic.twitter.com/CDDGEkJ7qZ
— KKMalaysia🇲🇾😷 (@KKMPutrajaya) April 22, 2022
Senior citizens who fall within the categories mentioned may get their second booster four to six months after receiving their first booster shot, while those who had contracted Covid-19 would be eligible to receive the second booster three months after making a full recovery. Healthy senior citizens who wish to receive a second booster shot would need to consult with their respective doctors.
Khairy also announced that children aged 12 to 17 who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get their booster dose 28 days after receiving their second vaccine shot.” Again, we leave it to the individual to discuss with their parents and their respective clinicians in making their decision to get the booster jab,” he said.
He announced that the vaccine used for the implementation of the booster doses would be the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.” There are 5.6 million Pfizer vaccines available in our stock. We believe this is enough since the implementation of the second booster shot is not compulsory and that it only involves two groups of people,” Khairy said.
The MySejahtera application is being utilised to send out booking links for those meeting the criteria for the second booster dose starting April 22, 2022. Those who receive the link may proceed to book their appointments at the listed vaccination centres (PPVs). Senior citizens may also walk-in to any PPV, while those under senior care or nursing homes could apply at the nearest district health office.
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The second booster is not compulsory and remains optional, and as such will not affect the vaccination status of those involved.
(Read now: Omicron: What You Need To Know About The Newest COVID-19 Variant Of Concern)
