Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said the interval time for booster shot in Malaysia has been shortened from the initial six months recommendation for Pfizer and AstraZeneca (AZ) recipients.

Booster Shots After 3 Months

In a press conference, Malaysia Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin mentioned that the interval time between completed vaccine dose with the booster shot has been shortened from six months to three months.

The new recommendation is made according to the data and guidelines made by health experts in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

“There has been strong evidence that COVID-19 boosters may increase protection against infections by the Omicron variant. An early study involving 21 million booster doses in the United Kingdom showed convincing data,” he announced.

Standardized Booster Shots Interval Time For All Types of Vaccine Recipients

Other than Pfizer and AZ, Sinovac recipients have already been recommended to take their booster shots after 3 months. 

With this new announcement, the interval time between primary vaccination and booster shots are standardized together.

The appointments will be rolled out considering age and risk factors. Thus, priority will be given to:

• Frontliners
• Adults aged 40 and above
• Adults aged 18 and above with comorbidities
• Staff and residents of care facilities
• Individuals travelling abroad
• Pregnant mothers

7 Facts About Booster Shots That You Need To Know

1. As protection against Covid-19 infection may decrease over time even with a completed dose of vaccine, booster doses are recommended. This aims to continue preventing infection and the spread of Covid-19
2. All adults aged 18 and above are eligible for booster shots
3. As of 28 December, the recommended interval time for all booster shots are standardized to 3 months
4. Booster formulation and dosage are the same as received for the primary vaccine before, which are:
   • 0.3ml for Pfizer
   • 0.5ml for AstraZeneca
   • 0.5ml for Sinovac
5. According to CDC, clinical trial has proven that both homologous and heterologous boosters lead to a strong immune response against Covid-19
6. Booster shots are safe as they have gone through many international regulatory bodies for approval
7. The “fully vaccinated” status for Malaysians above 60 will be revoked if they have not received their booster dose by February 2022.

(Source: Says)

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