GEORGE TOWN – Those shying away from heterologous vaccinations, insisting to only proceed with Sinovac, have been advised to consider accepting a Pfizer booster shot instead.
Penang Hospital infectious disease consultant Datuk Dr Chow Ting Soo told The Vibes that the public should not fear getting a different vaccine from their first two doses.
“The best time to get a booster shot is now, before their fully vaccinated status changes in February next year,” said Dr Chow, referring to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement today that full vaccination privileges would be withdrawn from Sinovac vaccine recipients and those aged 60 and above, if they do not obtain a booster dose by February.
Based on mix-and-match data from a Chile study, she noted that mixing Sinovac and Pfizer jabs is seen to provide better protection against new infections and severe cases. It is better in efficacy, compared to homologous vaccinations involving Sinovac-Sinovac-Sinovac.
With the second Omicron case detected in Malaysia, she said the only way to protect oneself against this variant is to take a booster dose.
A United Kingdom study shows that the Pfizer booster jab has a vaccine efficacy of 70%-75%.
Penang has been experiencing issues in getting the public – who were initially vaccinated with Sinovac jabs – to take a Pfizer booster shot.
This has affected booster administration rates, as each vaccination centre – including clinics run by general practitioners (GPs) – is only given 20% Sinovac vaccines, with Pfizer making up 80%.
Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society president Dr Parmjit Singh told The Vibes that GPs are having a hard time with the administration of vaccines, because there are a lot of cancellations upon allocation.
Although there is a lot of talk about why it is better to mix vaccines, people are still sceptical on proceeding with a Pfizer booster jab.
“We should just follow what the Health Ministry has said.
“There will be some side effects, but the requirements from the ministry will still need to be followed,” he said. – The Vibes, December 16, 2021
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