PETALING JAYA: As the effects of the Covid-19 vaccine wanes after several months, it is vital for people to get booster jabs, health experts have reminded.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economy and public health specialist deputy dean Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said people should not think twice about getting the booster shot.
“This is because of the waning immunity. If you look at the Omicron variant, which is being spread especially by those returning from the umrah, the United Kingdom or South Africa, it can evade early detection,” she said yesterday.
“It sometimes doesn’t show up on the test as the incubation period takes a longer time.”
Dr Sharifa said this was why she agreed with the Health Ministry’s decision to temporarily suspend the umrah pilgrimage with the Saudi Arabian government battling to control the Omicron spread.
She said Omicron could be spread by those who visited relatives returning from the umrah pilgrimage.“Even after you have taken the two vaccine doses, the waning effect can still cause someone to contract (and succumb to) the disease up to Categories 3 and 4,” she added.Dr Sharifa said an effective way to curb the spread of Covid-19 would be to set up a dedicated mandatory quarantine centre for those returning home to Malaysia.
“Even with the electronic bracelet, we still don’t really know how effectively the system works. One can assume it is foolproof, but the validity can only be determined by the Health Ministry,” she added.
Universiti Selangor visiting professor of Environmental Health Prof Dr Jamal Hisham Hashim agreed that the unvaccinated and those who had not gotten their booster shots after six months would be especially vulnerable to Covid-19. He said since the immunity from the second immunisation dose waned after six months, Malaysians should not postpone vaccination beyond a point, especially those aged above 60 and with chronic diseases.“As the Rt value is approaching 1, there is a possibility that the infection rate will increase nationwide, including that of the Omicron variant, which is more infectious than the Delta variant.
“There might have been a misconception that the vaccine would accord them long-term protection after two doses. However, scientists have known all along that this would not be the case,” he noted.
“We were hoping that with the global vaccination drive, the pandemic would have died down by now. Had that been the case, there would not have been a need for a booster shot.
“But vaccine distribution has been hampered globally, resulting in vaccine inequity across the globe. This has triggered the appearance of new variants like Delta and Omicron which have unfortunately prolonged the pandemic,” he said.
As such, Dr Jamal said there was a need to boost immunity with a third dose so that people would remain protected against Covid-19.
He added that beyond a certain point, there was nothing more than the continuous dissemination of information and transparency about the benefits as well as risks of vaccination, adding that the benefits of vaccination overwhelmingly exceeded the risks.
But Universiti Malaya Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre director Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar is not too worried about the spread of the virus due to the country’s high vaccination rate.
He said very few groups of people had yet to be vaccinated due to health issues or other reasons known to them.
Dr Sazaly said as far as children were concerned, they were not at higher risk compared to people with comorbidities.
“If you look at the Omicron variant, it is not as virulent as the Delta variant or others seen in the past.
“Most people who test positive for Omicron have mild symptoms. Some may think it is just the common flu or attribute it to the weather when they feel sick.
“The reason why it may show up much later (in terms of detection) is because there is not enough virus load. The infection level has to be high enough for you to detect it and because of the vaccination, some cannot detect it,” he explained.
Dr Sazaly advocated testing as the best solution to curb the spread of the virus in the community.
People should at least do three PCR tests, especially those returning to the country, he advised.
“You test when you come back, then three days later and on the seventh day of quarantine to be absolutely sure. This is what needs to be emphasised,” he added.
Meanwhile, ProtectHealth Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Dr Anas Alam Faizli said the utilisation rate last week at vaccination centres (PPV) was 74% nationwide, adding: “Once the PPV submit their reports, we will know the utilisation rate.”
He also said ProtectHealth had no control over vaccination appointments or postponement as it did not manage the scheduling for MySejahtera.
On Tuesday, ProtectHealth announced that no more walk-ins would be allowed at offsite Covid-PPV for booster jabs.
Only those with appointments on their MySejahtera app would be welcomed at the centres. This move comes after reports of crowding and long queues at PPVs in the Klang Valley.