PM introduces Covid-19 booster dose for high-risk groups and B40 care package

Last updated on September 27th, 2021 at 11:17 am

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government has decided to provide Covid-19 booster shots to high-risk groups once 80 percent of the country’s population has been completely inoculated.

Priority will be given to frontline medical professionals, immunocompromised people, elderly citizens with comorbidities, and residents and employees of long-term care institutions.

According to Ismail Sabri, a team of medical and health specialists is presently drafting guidelines for the administration of this third dosage.

To further safeguard the vulnerable groups from the danger of Covid-19 infection, the government decided to undertake the administration of a third dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“This third dosage might be able to boost protection in people at high risk of Covid-19 infections, which may wane over time after their second vaccination dose,” he said in a release.

A booster shot is a dosage of a vaccination administered after the protection conferred by the original shot(s) has started to wane. The booster is intended to assist individuals in maintaining their current degree of immunity for an extended period of time.

He said that the Health Ministry would disclose all information about the aforementioned Covid-19 booster dosage.

Separately, Ismail Sabri said that the government has committed RM471.6 million to the “Covid-19 Care Package” (PPC) for Malaysians in the B40 income bracket.

Ismail Sabri said that the provision was made to alleviate the financial strain on B40 families and to help them in defending themselves against Covid-19 as the nation entered the endemic phase.

Each family will receive a PPC that contained four reusable face masks, four Covid-19 self-test kits, one pulse oximeter, and one thermometer with usage instructions and health literature.

Ismail Sabri said that the care package would be distributed to 8.4 million qualified beneficiaries of Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR).

“Those who are married with or without children, or who are single parents with children, will be among the first to get the PPC,” he said, noting that this group accounted for about 3.6 million B40 families countrywide.