Govt to accelerate booster rollout in light of Omicron variant
The Health Ministry will accelerate the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots in light of the Omicron variant discovered abroad.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has instructed the capacity for administering the booster doses to be increased from 120,000 per day currently to 150,000.
It will then be increased in stages until it reaches 200,000 doses per day...
The Health Ministry will accelerate the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots in light of the Omicron variant discovered abroad.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has instructed the capacity for administering the booster doses to be increased from 120,000 per day currently to 150,000.
It will then be increased in stages until it reaches 200,000 doses per day.
"We hope those who have gotten appointments for a booster dose will come for their appointments to receive (the vaccine)," Khairy told a special press conference in Putrajaya today regarding additional measures for curbing the spread of the new variant.
He did not mention a timeframe for hitting the booster rollout targets.
The minister added that an announcement will be made next week on how long immunocompromised persons will have to wait to be eligible for a booster shot.
For the general population, Khairy said the current booster interval will be retained for the time being although some countries have recently shortened it.
"Most countries have still retained the six months (interval) but we are aware that some countries have shortened it.
"Some countries have shortened it due to the winter season that they are facing, which we don't have in Malaysia, but we will continue to monitor the situation.
"Should the situation necessitate a shorter interval, we will make that announcement in time to come," he added.
When asked whether Malaysia needs to purchase new vaccines to counter the new variant, Khairy said a decision will be made if current vaccines are found to be too ineffective against it.
However, he said it is now too early to draw conclusions on the matter as even vaccine manufacturers aren’t sure how much impact the Omicron variant would have on their products.
“For now, our strategy is to use existing vaccines that have been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and the Covid-19 Immunisation Taskforce to be given as booster dose.
“It is better to use what you have, and to wait for additional data on the effectiveness of the existing vaccines against the new variant of concern,” he said.
To another question, Khairy said the absentee rate for booster dose appointments have improved after the government implemented a waiting list system for those seeking to be given their booster shots.
The minister previously said that as many as 40 percent of booster dose appointments are missed, but now, he said the absentee rate is now extremely low and vaccination centres are operating at full capacity every day.
However, he said certain populations are still refusing to attend their booster appointments, particularly senior citizens who were previously inoculated with the Sinovac vaccine.
He urged them not to delay their booster dose appointment any further, as Sinovac recipients who have yet to receive a booster dose are at high risk especially with the emergency of the Omicron variant.
“Although it is not yet in Malaysia, preventive measures must be taken so all senior citizens get their booster doses, especially those who originally received the Sinovac vaccine because its immunity decays faster than those who got the Pfizer vaccine,” he said.
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