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March 31 deadline for booster jab final, Khairy says it again

He says 35,000 senior citizens initially vaccinated with Sinovac have yet to receive a booster shot.

Bernama
2 minute read
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Health workers smile after receiving a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine at the KPJ Tawakkal vaccination centre in Jalan Pahang in this file photo.
Health workers smile after receiving a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine at the KPJ Tawakkal vaccination centre in Jalan Pahang in this file photo.

The March 31 deadline for Sinovac primary vaccine recipients to get a Covid-19 booster dose injection to retain their fully vaccinated status is final, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

He said after this, their vaccination status will change to incomplete if they have yet to receive a booster jab.

“Starting April 1, for Sinovac primary vaccine recipients aged 18 and above and senior citizens who still have not taken a booster dose, their vaccination status will change from yellow to white.

“It is final,” he said at a press conference on Covid-19 developments today.

The health ministry previously said that vaccine recipients aged 60 and above and Sinovac recipients aged 18 and above must obtain a booster dose before Feb 28 to retain their fully vaccinated status.

However, Khairy in a press conference on Feb 24 announced that the timeframe to obtain a booster dose for the groups had been extended until March 31.

Khairy said that to date, a total of 35,000 senior citizens who were vaccinated with Sinovac had yet to receive a booster shot.

“For the elderly, a booster dose has been shown to prevent the adverse effects of Covid-19. Therefore, it is important to get a booster dose.

“Indeed, the Omicron wave is not seen to be as aggressive as Delta, but for the elderly, especially those with comorbidities, it will not be a mild disease as this can lead to death,” he said.

Khairy said Sinovac recipients, especially the elderly, could now get booster dose injections by walking in at vaccination centres.

In another development, Khairy said he would meet the parents of the 13-year-old boy who allegedly died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine injection at the Presint 18 Health Clinic on Dec 30 last year.

He said a meeting with the parents of the boy, Ravnesh Kumar, would be held at his office at the health ministry tomorrow.

“It is better to meet the parents of the boy first before anything is announced… because the details of health and death are confidential,” he said.

On Feb 26, a portal reported that the parents of the boy who died a few weeks after being vaccinated had called on the relevant parties to explain the cause of death of their only child.

The boy was said to have collapsed in a lift at his housing block on Jan 16 while on his way to a karate lesson. He was rushed to Kajang Hospital where he was pronounced dead.