First booster dose targets elderly, frontliners and low immunity people
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced that the government will provide a third shot of the Covid-19 vaccine to the elderly and frontliners.
He revealed that this booster will be administered once the immunisation coverage of the adult population in the country is in excess of 80 percent.
"The priority of giving this third dose will be focused on...
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced that the government will provide a third shot of the Covid-19 vaccine to the elderly and frontliners.
He revealed that this booster will be administered once the immunisation coverage of the adult population in the country is in excess of 80 percent.
"The priority of giving this third dose will be focused on high-risk groups such as health frontliners, patients with low immune resistance (immunocompromised), the elderly with comorbidities and individuals living or working in long-term care facilities," Ismail Sabri said in a statement today.
A total of 18,295,014 individuals or 78.2 percent of the adult population in the country has been fully vaccinated as of yesterday, according to the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV).
Ismail Sabri said that this third dose can increase the level of immunity in individuals with a high risk of Covid-19 infection, which may decrease for a certain period after the second dose.
To that end, a panel of physicians and health experts are developing guidelines for its implementation.
Further details on the third dose will be provided by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the premier said.
PPC aid for B40
He added that in preparation for the endemic phase of Covid-19, the government will allocate more than RM471.6 million for the purpose of providing the Covid-19 Family Care Package (PPC) to families in the B40 category.
"These efforts, among others, are aimed at easing the financial burden of B40 household expenditure and will help train them to cultivate new norms," he said.
The PPC assistance contains:
- Reusable face mask pack (four pieces per family)
- Covid-19 self-test kit (four kits per family)
- One pulse oximeter
- One thermometer
- Usage guide leaflet and health info
"The PPC aid (distribution) will begin with Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) recipients who are married with or without children, or a single mother or father with children.
"The initiative is expected to benefit approximately 3.6 million B40 families and in total, there are 8.4 million BPR recipients," he added.
