Only teens with underlying conditions recommended to get Pfizer vaccine: Adham

 

The Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate Selection Committee (JKPCV) has recommended that only teenagers with a chronic underlying medical condition should receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, for now, said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

“Vaccination for adolescents who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 due to chronic underlying medical conditions, as advised by their responsible specialists, may benefit from the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine,” he said.

Adham was speaking at a joint press conference with the minister in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), Khairy Jamaluddin, in Putrajaya today which was broadcasted online.

In mid-June, the Drug Control Authority (DCA) had approved the usage of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 12 and above in Malaysia.

However, on June 30, Khairy said reports in other countries of increased heart inflammation risk among young males may affect the decision on vaccinating teenagers in Malaysia.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be approved for adolescents aged 12 to 15 in the US, the EU and the UK in May 2021, and many countries have started vaccinating adolescents with it since.

However, real world data from these countries now report there is a low risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) with the shot in adolescents.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since added a warning to the literature that accompanies the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine shots to indicate the rare risk of heart inflammation after its use.

“We err on the side of caution as far as adolescent vaccination is concerned and I think the decision made by the Health Ministry is good for us to protect children with underlying medical conditions first,” Khairy said.

Adham said healthy adolescents aged between 12 to 17 years old, who are without underlying medical conditions and are at a very low risk of contracting severe Covid-19, may be offered vaccination at a later stage.

The government will wait to study results from ongoing clinical trials using a lower dosage of the Pfizer vaccine in children, as well as real-world safety and efficacy data from other countries, he added.

Khairy also noted that they are also waiting for further data from a clinical trial that has just been published about the use of Sinovac on adolescents.

The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine uses an inactivated vaccine platform whereas the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine uses mRNA technology.

“We feel that by the time we finish Phase 3, we will have enough data to decide whether to proceed with vaccinating adolescents aged 12 to 17 or not,” Khairy said.

Meanwhile, Khairy said there had been an issue with the vaccination of students who are going overseas for their studies as there are those who have yet to reach 18 years old by the date of their vaccination.

He said the government has decided that students going overseas who will turn 18 years old this year will be allowed to receive the vaccination, on the condition that their parents or their guardian sign their vaccination consent form on their behalf. - Mkini