A second booster shot will soon be made available for elderly with high-risk comorbidities and other conditions.
Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said the second booster shot can be obtained by individuals of 60 years old and above with high-risk comorbidities and the first booster shot for individuals of 12 years old and above who are immunocompromised.
“On the second booster shot, it includes elderly at long-term care facilities.
“For individuals of 60 years old and above who are healthy without high-risk comorbidities, they should discuss with medical practitioners whether a second booster shot would be recommended for them.
“This decision is made after scientific and Malaysian cohort studies by the Technical Working Group (TWG) panel. It showed that individuals of 60 years old and above with comorbidities such as diseases of the lung, heart, kidney, liver and diabetes have a higher risk of severe symptoms and deaths from COVID-19,” he said during a media conference yesterday.
Based on current inventory, Khairy stated that the Ministry of Health has ready supply of the Pfizer vaccine of 5.7 million doses, to accommodate the need for booster doses.
According to him, elderly with high-risk comorbidities can be given the second booster shot with an interval of at least four to six months after the first booster shot.
As for individuals of 12 years old and above who are immunocompromised, they can obtain a booster shot with an interval of at least 28 days after the second dose.
“Currently, the Comirnaty mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) is the recommended vaccine for a second booster dose based on available scientific data.
“Individuals of 60 years old and above who are boosted and infected with COVID-19 are eligible for a second booster shot three months after their full recovery.
“However, the implementation of this latest recommendation will not affect the full vaccination status of high-risk individuals who do not receive a second booster dose. The Ministry of Health is currently updating clinical guidelines detailing the implementation of the second booster shot.”
Rosli Mansor
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