KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is weighing the need to administer Covid-19 booster shots amid the spike in Delta variant infections nationwide.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said an expert committee has been set up to assess the need for a third shot and is expected to give its recommendation by month-end.
"The priority now is to focus on people who haven't received even their first shot."
"Only 46 per cent of Malaysians have been fully inoculated as of Aug 31, with states including Sabah and Perak falling behind on coverage. More vaccines will be sent their way," he said, adding that the committee would also weigh whether the booster would be heterologous (mix and match) or homologous (the same vaccine).
Among the nations considering the need for a booster is Singapore. The country is looking at a third round of vaccines for some segments of its population, while Indonesia is rolling out booster shots only for its health care workers.
Boosters have however been dismissed by global health advocates as demands for equitable distribution of doses grow due to the plight of third world nations and their populations that are locked out of supplies, with many not even getting access to their first shots.