MUKAH: Eighteen frontliners from the Mukah Health Department here yesterday received the Covid-19 vaccine booster shots.
Mukah Division health officer Dr Huzaimah Husin was among the frontliners.
She explained that the booster shots were meant for all the people, and for this division, they would be given out in stages beginning with the frontliners from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and those who were directly involved in containing Covid-19, followed by senior citizens aged 60 years old and above.
She added it would be given with certain conditions. For example, only the Pfizer vaccine was allowed. The shots were for those who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine previously and the period between the second dose and the booster shot must be at least six months.
“The booster dose is not compulsory. Nevertheless, we hope more people will come forward and receive it so that Sarawak can proceed to the next endemic phase with lower Covid-19 positive cases and life can return to normal like before,” she said after the launch of the division-level administration of the Covid-19 booster shots at Dewan Suarah Mesra vaccination centre (PPV) here on Wednesday (Oct 13).
She added prior to giving the booster dose, the authorities would check thoroughly the Covid-19 vaccination history and other related information of the recipients.
Dr Huzaimah revealed that besides the booster shot, there was another kind of shot called the third dose.
According to her, the third dose will be given to individuals with low immune response so that it can enhance their immunity, especially those with illness such undergoing cancer treatment; the third dose will be administered at the hospitals only.
She said the booster shot would be administered at selected clinics only and details would be revealed from time to time.
Dr Huzaimah added the public were encouraged to get the booster shots which would be administered through appointments only.
On the use of Sinovac vaccine for the booster dose, she said it was up to the higher authorities to decide it.
