Seniors urged to get second booster dose as govt warns of possible new Covid wave

Senior citizens aged 60 and above and those with chronic diseases are encouraged to get a second booster dose to increase their immunity against Covid-19 infection, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

He said this was because the number of new Covid-19 cases would fluctuate and the country might be hit by another wave of infections in two or three months’ time.

“We are not sure how extensive or big this wave will be, but epidemiological developments in other countries suggest that this wave will strike.

“That is why certain categories (of people), those who are old and facing chronic health problems, are encouraged to top up their immunity through an additional dose,” he told reporters after opening a dialogue session in conjunction with the health ministry hospital directors’ conference in Petaling Jaya today.

Khairy said as of yesterday, 107,844 people had received a second booster dose, of whom 57,834 were aged 60 and above.

“So far, we have not received any reports of side effects caused by the second booster shot,” he added.

On the reopening of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids), he said so far 397 children aged five to 11 had been vaccinated under the extended programme which runs from June 20 to 24.

He said the programme was reopened for five days to allow parents who had missed out on PICKids earlier to get their children vaccinated.

“Although it was announced that PICKids would end on May 31, some parents asked for a chance to use the vaccination facility. Some missed out because they did not get the necessary information,” he added.

Asked about the issue of payment for the MySejahtera application operator, Khairy said the government had not made any payments yet but had received the green light from the Attorney-General’s Chambers to conduct price negotiations.