KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry is not ruling out the possibility of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for those who are healthy and under the age of 60.
Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that at this point, the government is prioritising high-risk groups and those with pre-existing health conditions to be given booster shots.
In justifying the prioritisation, the Rembau MP pointed out that the majority of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and Covid-19 deaths involve people who are elderly and have comorbidities.
“We are only encouraging those in high-risk groups for now, to receive booster shots. If we look at other countries, that is the practice. For the general population, I think there are not many countries, or none of them has approved it for everyone.
“In fact, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved it for senior citizens aged 65 years and above,” Khairy said in a press conference in Kuching, Sarawak, today.
Khairy also said that the government will come up with clinical guidelines for the jab administration for different age groups based on advice from experts.
“We want to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
“There is no point in using our resources for those who may not need it right now. So, we focus on those who need it right now. For others, later,” he said.
In addition, he said Sarawak will be one of the first states to kick-start the booster programme as it is one of the first states to complete the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
“We will begin next month, when we have finalised the clinical guidelines for the booster dose.”
As of yesterday, Sarawak has fully vaccinated 89.3% of its adult population and 64.9% of its whole population. – The Vibes, September 26, 2021
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