Malaysians looking to get their second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot will now be able to book an appointment via the MySejahtera app. This is according to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) head of data Dr Mahesh Appannan, who confirmed the news in a reply to a tweet.
To do so, tap on the COVID-19 icon on the bottom of the screen, then select “COVID-19 Vaccination” and “Vaccine for [your name].” From there, you can schedule an appointment at your nearest vaccination centre (PPV). You’ll need to make sure that your MySejahtera app has been updated to the latest version. All second booster doses will be of the Pfizer vaccine, as the latter is the only one to be approved by the government.
The second booster had previously been available to all Malaysians since May 13, either via appointment (for senior citizens) or by simply walking in to a PPV—although walk-ins were discontinued in the Klang Valley on October 1. Despite this, only 1.6% of the total Malaysian population had received their second dose as of October 29, CodeBlue reported.
Caretaker Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin said his ministry recommends second booster jabs for adults aged 18 and above—regardless of their health status—as well as pregnant women and health care workers. It can be taken six months after the first booster.
He added that the government has already ordered the bivalent version of the Pfizer vaccine, which targets both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants; it will arrive sometime this month. “There is no additional procurement, this is existing procurement; we have changed our order from the old vaccine to the new vaccine, which will arrive in November,” Khairy said, as reported by Bernama.
Renewed interest in the second COVID-19 vaccine booster comes as Malaysia is experiencing a surge in infections following the discovery of the Omicron XBB sub-variant. On Friday, it was reported that new cases over a six-day period (October 29 to November 3) reached 20,824, an increase of nearly 60% over the 13,050 cases recorded from October 22 to 27. In response, Khairy urged Malaysians to return to wearing face masks, despite the use of them still being voluntary.
