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PETALING JAYA: As the health ministry considers a second Covid-19 booster shot for those whose immunity is weak, a virologist has urged it to emulate countries offering a fourth vaccine dose for high-risk groups.
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Citing a recent study done in Israel, Kumitaa Theva Das of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the immunity level among the elderly would drop a few months after the third dose and an additional booster shot was needed.
The study was conducted between Jan 10 and March 2, when the Omicron variant was predominant. It found that a fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered the infection rates among the aged.
The researchers, who looked at 1.3 million people aged 60 and above, said protection against severe illness did not wane in the six weeks after the dose but added that follow-up studies were needed to evaluate its longer-term protection.
Another study from Israel in March showed that old people who received two booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had a 78% lower mortality rate than those who got just one.
“Young, healthy people may not benefit much from a fourth dose, but it will be beneficial to the elderly and those with comorbidities,” Das told FMT.
“The same study showed a reduction in hospitalisation and deaths among older people who received a second booster.”
She was commenting on health minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s statement that the ministry was still considering giving a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to those in the immunocompromised category.
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Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said the ministry, if it were to decide on a fourth dose, must tell the public why it was necessary.
He said it should be up to members of the public to decide what would be in their best interest.
“They should not be forced, compelled or pressured into taking additional vaccine jabs. People must make informed decisions on matters affecting their own health,” he said. - FMT
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