Only 0.01% breakthrough deaths, says health ministry

 

Of the 14,500,984 fully vaccinated, a survey shows only 953 were admitted to the intensive care unit. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Deaths among fully vaccinated individuals due to Covid-19, or “breakthrough deaths”, only made up less than 0.01% of the 4.5 million who were fully vaccinated surveyed by the health ministry.

The survey showed that 1,445 vaccinated people, out of a total of 4,500,984, had died of the disease.

Speaking at a webinar today, Dr Kalaiarasu Peariasamy, director of the health ministry’s Institute for Clinical Research, said the “breakthrough death” rate among those who were fully vaccinated with Sinovac stood at 0.015%, followed by Pfizer at 0.005% and AstraZeneca at 0.002%.

The 4,500,984 fully vaccinated who were surveyed involved 7,223,897 who were vaccinated with Sinovac, 6,530,943 with Pfizer and 744,958 with AstraZeneca.

Of the total number of people in the survey, 1,445 succumbed to Covid-19.

Of the 14,500,984 fully vaccinated, only 953 were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Of that number, 799 had been vaccinated with Sinovac, 147 with Pfizer and seven with AstraZeneca.

“The message is very clear. Those who are fully vaccinated get the maximum benefit from vaccines,” Kalaiarasu said.

“That is the message we must all understand. Fully vaccinated status is very important.”

One of the issues raised during the webinar, titled “Vaccine Effectiveness and Adolescent Vaccination” organised by the health ministry, was mandatory vaccination for adolescents – which a ministry official said was not on the cards.

Noting the concerns that some parents may have about vaccinating their adolescent children, Dr Saidatul Norbaya Buang, a public health physician at the ministry’s family health development division, said that it was entirely up to parents whether they wanted to vaccinate their children or not.

“Even if the child agrees but refuses to be vaccinated when at the centre later, we will not vaccinate him or her,” she said. “We do not mandate it but we are encouraging it 100%.”

The government aims to vaccinate 3.2 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 under the national immunisation programme. This drive will officially start on Monday, ahead of the full reopening of schools.

The government aims to vaccinate 60% of adolescents with at least one dose by November and get 80% of adolescents fully vaccinated by January.

At a press conference yesterday, deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said none of the 410,489 adolescents vaccinated till now had experienced any serious side effects after getting their jabs. - FMT