[UPDATED] Covid-19 booster shots for high-risk groups get go-ahead

KUALA LUMPUR – The government has agreed to administer Covid-19 vaccination booster shots to select groups of individuals, once the country achieves herd immunity among its adult population.

In a statement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said priority will be given to high-risk groups, such as front-line health workers and senior citizens with comorbidities.

Other individuals to be prioritised are immunocompromised individuals and those working at long-term care facilities.

“The third vaccine dose can increase the immunity level among high-risk individuals against Covid-19, whose efficacy may have waned after a certain period following the second dose.

“A panel of health and medical experts is currently developing a guideline on the implementation of this third dose,” he said today.

Ismail Sabri said details on the vaccine booster shots will be announced by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy during a presser in Kedah today said the booster shot implementation is expected to kick off in October.

He told reporters this after holding a meeting with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force in Wisma Darul Aman, Alor Star, this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the prime minister announced an allocation of RM47.1 million to provide Covid-19 Care Packages (PPCs) to B40 families, as part of preparations to enter an endemic phase. 

Each kit will contain four reusable masks, four Covid-19 self-test kits, one pulse oximeter, one thermometer, and information material on usage and health matters.

He said the aid is expected to benefit 3.6 million households, totalling 8.4 million existing Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat recipients. 

“This initiative is meant to reduce the financial burden of B40 households, to train the community in cultivating a new normal and to protect the families from the virus.”

Previously, Khairy on September 9 said waning immunity might be the cause of the sharp hike in infections and deaths in Sarawak.

The minister had warned that if this proves true, other states could face the same situation in the coming months.

Apart from the reduced efficacy of vaccines, Khairy said the possibility of the surge in infections in the Bornean state could also be due to the emergence of the Delta variant, as well as the gradual reopening of the economy. 

Earlier, Sarawak announced that those who are fully vaccinated will get booster jabs next month.

State Disaster Management Committee adviser Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian had said studies on the suspected waning immunity of those already fully vaccinated are underway.

“Very likely, the booster jab will be carried out starting October.”

In late August, the Selangor government said it is making preparations to provide booster doses under its Selangor Vaccine Programme (Selvax).

State Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said preparations include providing the vaccine to those aged below 18, subject to federal approval. – The Vibes, September 19, 2021