Covid-19 booster shots available next week, starting in Sarawak
The Health Ministry has given the green light for the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine booster shot which would begin next week with Sarawak becoming the first state to start the initiative.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the booster shot had also been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division, the Drug Control Authority and the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.
“We can start giving the booster shot to those who...
The Health Ministry has given the green light for the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine booster shot which would begin next week with Sarawak becoming the first state to start the initiative.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the booster shot had also been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division, the Drug Control Authority and the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.
“We can start giving the booster shot to those who are eligible by next week... we will look at the delivery of supplies,” he said.
Khairy had previously said that priority will be given to vulnerable or high-risk groups, including individuals aged 60 and above as well as those with serious comorbidities, to receive the booster shot.
In another development, the minister said the government was considering procuring antiviral drugs for Covid-19 treatment from several pharmaceutical companies, including from India.
However, he said the authorities would ensure that the antiviral drugs were safe and effective.
In the meantime, Khairy described the decision to allow interstate travel once the country’s vaccination rate reached 90 percent for adults as the right move.
“If we do not allow them to travel interstate, it will also cause various problems such as mental and emotional stress. There are many who have not been able to visit their families and parents for a year,” he said.
Khairy said if the country is to wait for up to 70 percent of the entire population to be vaccinated, then the people will have to wait longer for the state borders to reopen because 20 percent of Malaysians comprised those aged below 12.
“There is no vaccine for children at the moment, it has not yet been approved by any regulator including the Food and Drug Administration, if we want to wait until the entire population is vaccinated, it would probably take until next year before we can allow interstate travel,” he said.
- Bernama
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