Sarawak will continue to use the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as a booster dose for Sarawakians.
According to the Borneo Post, the State Health Department said in a statement that it would only administer the Sinovac vaccine as a booster dose against COVID-19 under certain circumstances.
Photo via Traveloka
Its director, Dr. Rosemawati Ariffin said the administration of the booster dose throughout Sarawak is in accordance with the latest MOH policy where only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is allowed for recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinovac primary doses.
“However, the Sinovac vaccine is only used as a booster dose in certain circumstances, such as, if the recipient of the vaccine has a contraindication or allergy to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” says Dr. Rosemawati.
She further pointed out that the COVID-19 booster dose was given to eligible individuals who belonged to the high-risk groups and the time interval from the second dose according to the type of primary vaccine previously administered.
Photo via The Star
A COVID-19 booster shot is an additional dose of a vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shots has begun to decrease over time.
According to Hopkins Medical Centre, individuals would get a booster after the immunity from the initial doses naturally starts to wane. The booster is designed to help people maintain their level of immunity for longer.
Stay safe, and get yourself vaccinated, guys!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
