3rd dose for immunocompromised, elderly with health issues soon: Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry is looking to administer a third Covid-19 vaccine dose to individuals with a weak immune system and senior citizens with comorbidities as early as next month.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this will be followed by booster shots for others who are fully inoculated and have seen the jab’s efficacy decline over time.

The roll-out of both will be subject to the clinical guidelines and views shared by medical experts, as well as approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.

“I’m confident that we will be able to start administering the third dose first, followed by booster shots, beginning next month,” Khairy told a hybrid press conference this evening.

“Today, Pfizer has submitted their dossier for booster shots, and will look to approve them as soon as possible.”

Calls for booster shots to be administered have grown following the recent Covid-19 resurgence in Sarawak, which the minister previously said is likely due to the waning efficacy of vaccines.

On September 19, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government has agreed to administer booster shots to selected groups of individuals once the country attains herd immunity among its adult population.

Khairy said the third dose and a booster shot are different, with the former given to immunocompromised individuals and the elderly with underlying medical conditions.

“For this group, two vaccine doses are not enough for their immune system response, and they require a third one for an optimum response to Covid-19.”

Booster shots, on the other hand, are aimed at stimulating the vaccine in the body for greater efficacy, he said.

On data showing that most breakthrough Covid-19 deaths and intensive care unit admissions among the vaccinated involve Sinovac jab recipients, he said the ministry will conduct an in-depth study to determine the true cause of this.

Once the analysis is concluded, and if it is determined that Sinovac recipients are indeed more vulnerable, the ministry will consider giving priority to this group when the booster shot programme kicks off, he said.

“But, we have to first conduct a study to see if it (high breakthrough deaths and ICU cases) is because of the vaccine type or other factors, such as the patient’s medical history, the time of infection, and whether it involves a variant of concern.”

Regardless, said Khairy, all three vaccine brands being used widely in the country – Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca – are proven to have high efficacy.

“In terms of fully vaccinated individuals being admitted to the ICU, the rate is only 0.006%, while the death rate is 0.01%.” – The Vibes, September 24, 2021