KUCHING: Booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine should be made optional except for those who have received the Sinovac vaccine as their first and second doses.
In saying this, a medical scientist who wishes to remain anonymous explained that this was because various published studies abroad and unpublished local studies suggest that the antibody production for recipients of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine is very low or that the protective antibodies produced drop rapidly after a certain period of time.
“The (Health Ministry) needs to do more in educating the public on this so that they can make informed decisions,” she said.
She said this when contacted on Tuesday (Feb 8) for her views on Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s recent call that senior citizens aged 60 years and above, as well as those aged 18 years and above who have completed both primary doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, must take their booster shot by March 1 to maintain their ‘fully vaccinated’ status.
“While there is valid concern on the lack of protection for the elderly who have higher risk factors especially those who were vaccinated with Sinovac, I personally am not in favour of forcing people.
“It is better to educate the public on the pros and cons so that they can understand the risks and make their own decision. Perhaps the Health Ministry also needs to address the concerns of the public by having fact sheets that are easier to consume,” she said.
The medical scientist said the booster dose for the elderly with risk factors as well as those who had previously received the Sinovac vaccine was important, especially with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.
Nevertheless, she reiterated that public health education was vital so that the public could understand the risks better in order to make the right decision.
When prompted for her advice on the situation of some who had been vaccinated with Sinovac and being reluctant to receive Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine types for their booster dose, she said she understood that many are in favour of Sinovac as there would be ‘less side effects’.
“But again, studies have suggested that the antibodies produced by the recipients of Sinovac for the first two doses are much lower than the recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca.
“That is why it has been recommended that those who received Sinovac for their first two doses receive a booster shot, to boost up the antibody production to reduce the risk of disease severity if they get infected with Covid-19,” she explained.
