Second booster now available to those aged 50-59
PARLIAMENT | The government is opening up the second Covid-19 booster shot to those aged 50-59 who don't have comorbidities, amid a surge in infections.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in the Dewan Rakyat today...
PARLIAMENT | The government is opening up the second Covid-19 booster shot to those aged 50-59 who don't have comorbidities, amid a surge in infections.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Those eligible can make an appointment for their second booster through the MySejahtera app.
Previously, the fourth dose was only available to those above 60, and anyone who had comorbidities, as well as those who are leaving for a foreign country.
The current spike in cases is due to the BA.5 variant, which is a sublineage of the Omicron variant, said Khairy.
It is more infectious than other Omicron sub-variants, and has a higher resistance to antibodies created by vaccines, he added.
Khairy said the government may procure the next generation vaccines built around Omicron once it is proven safe and has had regulatory approval.
He did not mention opening up the second booster to those aged 18 to 49 who don't have comorbidities.
Previously, Khairy had said that a decision for boosters for those under 60 who are not high risk would be made this week.
Meanwhile, asked whether the government would reintroduce SOPs to curb the spread of Covid-19, the minister reiterated that this would be considered if the number of cases continues to escalate.
However, he expressed confidence that the public would self-regulate themselves to help bring cases down.
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