Health DG: Boosters won't control Delta variant, targeting the unvaccinated will

 

Individuals who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 may now be discussing the prospect of getting a third booster shot but Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham said the priority should be on the unvaccinated.

"Administering booster doses to the fully-vaccinated will not help control the spread of the Delta variant.

"What will control the spread of the Delta variant is administering the vaccine to the unvaccinated," Noor Hisham said in a statement on Facebook.

Previously, there was less attention on the anti-vaccination population as the focus was on administering the vaccine to those who want them.

However, with the vaccination rate reaching saturation point, particularly in the Klang Valley, the government now needs to figure out how to deal with those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Noor Hisham said there is a need to increase the vaccination rate before even considering booster shots.

"No one is safe until everyone is safe," he said.

As of Aug 23, 80 percent of the population in the Klang Valley has received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 62.3 percent has received both doses, according to the special committee on Covid-19 vaccine supply.

This data is based on census data from 2010, which does not account for the population growth in the last 11 years, on top of the undocumented migrant population.

The government had launched a concerted effort to speed up the vaccination rate in the Klang Valley because it is the worst-hit Covid-19 region, largely due to the more virulent Delta variant.

However, the pandemic is now also worsening beyond the Klang Valley, where the vaccination rate is still slow.

For example, only 37.6 percent of the population in Sabah has received their first dose while 22.22 percent has received the second dose.

Kelantan is the state with the lowest proportion of people receiving at least the first dose, at 35.1 percent. The second dose has been received by 24.4 percent of the state population.

Recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac are considered fully vaccinated after receiving two doses.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) honorary secretary Dr R Arasu urged the government to release vaccination data by district.

"It is important if the vaccination data by district is shared," he said on Twitter.

Arasu said this will show which district has a lower vaccination rate.

"Then, we can target the district to increase the vaccination rate," he added. - Mkini