Keep Covid-19 at bay: A file photo showing a doctor about to administer a Covid-19 vaccine to a recipient. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Low hospitalisation rates, mild symptoms and fear of side effects factored into people’s decisions not to get boosted against Covid-19, say health experts.
As of Tuesday, 50.1% or 16.34mil people have received their first booster but only 2.5% or 828,243 people have gotten a second booster, according to the Health Ministry’s GitHub database.
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Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at Universiti Malaya Prof Dr Sanjay Rampal said plausible reasons for adults not getting additional boosters include the overall low hospitalisation rates.
“It decreased the perception of adverse effects of an infection compared to the earlier part of the pandemic.
“This reason is relevant to those who are not in the high risk group as the risk of complications are lower in a post vaccinated population such as ours,” he said.
Dr Sanjay said other deterrents to getting a booster shot include the cost of the vaccine, and the risk of adverse effects of the vaccine may outweigh the benefit of getting vaccinated especially among the healthy.
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He also said that another factor was the perception that circulating strains may not be covered by current available vaccines.
He added that another reason behind the reluctance to get boosted is that vaccines cannot eliminate transmission and the virus will persist, with people having no choice but to live with it.
“Boosters, however, play a vital role in reducing complications among those who are at higher risk,” said Dr Sanjay.
He said the risk of severe Covid-19 is more likely among certain groups and thus they are more likely to benefit from an additional booster vaccination.
They are older adults, younger adults with significant comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease or severe obesity; those who are seriously immunocompromised such as transplant recipients, patients on immunosuppressive treatment or cancer patients; pregnant women; the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
“Those who are eligible for booster vaccination should consider taking it,” said Dr Sanjay.
Covid-19 cases have been increasing since the end of November, with Dec 6 seeing new infections breaching the 2,000 mark for the first time this year.
There were 2,061 cases reported on Dec 6, 2,501 on Dec 7, 2,099 on Dec 8 and 2,554 on Dec 9, which is the latest data.
Dr Sanjay expected that reported cases will continue to increase for the coming two to four weeks and said preparedness is key.
“Those who are unwell should wear a mask. More importantly, they should consult a doctor,” he said, adding that organisations may re-introduce the option of remote working for those who are under quarantine.
Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia president Dr Shanmuganathan Ganeson said even if the government puts 100% effort into getting people to take the booster Covid-19 vaccine, it is unlikely to succeed.
“DNA vaccines have been inundated by bad press, there is vaccine lethargy in the public, and the current Covid-19 infection is not severe with 98% being mild.
“Further, whether there is a budget for these boosters needs to be looked into.
“By now, there is endemicity of Covid-19, and we should be depending on herd immunity with vaccination playing a reduced role,” he said.
Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Prof Amrahi Buang called upon the people to practise Covid-19 safety measures with the coming holiday season.
He said test kits are still available at pharmacies nationwide but some locations may not have time to restock because of logistical problems.
“People are encouraged to self test if they are symptomatic and report on MySejahtera so that cases are not being under-reported.
“Take extra precautions especially with the holidays coming up,” he said.
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee report on Oct 30 revealed that 8.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines worth RM505mil went to waste after expiring in June.
The total projected vaccine requirement had been 83.3 million doses but only 72.8 million had been used, which was 88% of the projection.
The report noted that the poor response to Covid-19 vaccination, particularly booster doses, was partly due to the fear of side effects, caused by the spread of misinformation.
