IT is best for high-risk individuals to consult their doctors before getting booster Covid-19 shots, health experts said.

They welcomed the government’s decision to administer booster jabs for the immunocompromised, those with co-morbidities, the elderly and healthcare frontliners.

Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar suggested that the target group, especially those who have chronic illnesses such as heart disease, kidney disease and autoimmune problems, discuss with their doctors during their routine check-ups.

He said it may also be expensive to get a test done to see whether the immune response from the previous vaccination have waned.

“It is quite expensive and may not be very accurate. Plus, not many places have such services,” he said.

Virologist Dr Chee Hui Yee from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Universiti Putra Malaysia suggested those who want to assess their need for a booster shot to opt for a neutralising antibody test.

“Even the government has said it is for the high-risk category. I think the government will do the necessary checks before giving the shot,” she said.

Chee, however, said the government should focus on vaccinating more of the population before administering booster shots.

“We should focus on vaccinating all our citizens to reach high percentage of coverage before giving booster shots,” she said.

Elsewhere, in the world, experts have also vouched for vaccinating the unvaccinated before administering booster shots.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccine protection against the virus may wane over time and be less effective at fully protecting against the Delta variant.

While Covid-19 vaccination for adults aged 65 years and above remains effective in preventing severe disease, recent data suggest it is less effective when it comes to preventing infection or milder symptomatic infections.

“Data from a small clinical trial showed that a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants who finished their primary course six months earlier.

“With an increased immune response, people should have improved protection against Covid-19, including the Delta variant,” the CDC said.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently said that booster shots will not be made compulsory.

A person is considered fully vaccinated as long as the individual has received two shots for a two-dose vaccine or the one shot required in a single-dose vaccine.

“The booster dose or lack of one will not affect your status as being fully vaccinated,” Khairy said at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital last week.

“It is not mandatory. We will offer it to the targeted groups,” he said.

The booster dose will be offered to high-risk groups such as those who are immunocompromised, health frontliners and the elderly.

“We won’t force but we highly recommend that these groups come forward to get the booster shots six months after the second dose, as the vaccines have a waning effect,” he said. – October 11, 2021.