Health Minister Encourages Public To Get 2nd Booster Shot As Covid-19 Cases Spike

If you noticed that there are many people around you who’s been getting Covid-19 recently, it’s probably due to the new Omicron variant among our community.

Two days ago, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the BA.5 variant, a sub-variant of Omicron is confirmed to be amidst us, causing the Covid-19 outbreak. He also mentioned that many people who have gotten Covid-19 previously may be infected again due to this variant.

On 8 July 2022, the Health Minister shared a Twitter posting, saying that the Covid-19 cases have increased 31 per cent in the past five days, and this is driven by the Omicron variant, which has a 6.3 times higher rate of re-infection compared to the Delta wave.

“Following the increase in these cases, those who have not received a booster dose are strongly encouraged to receive it immediately,” he stated, adding that they are still many who have not gotten a booster dose.

Khairy also mentioned that the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine decreases after a few months, thus getting a booster is to increase protection. He encouraged the elderly as well as kids aged 12 to 17 years old to get the second booster shots, and the vaccine appointment can be made on the MySejahtera app or you can browse the list of PPV on protechhealthco.

He added that Covid-19 patients who are 18 years old or older and meet the criteria may be given the antiviral drug Paxlovid to treat Covid-19 infection. “Please go to the nearest CAC or hospital for evaluation, CAC list: https://bit.ly/senaraiCAC List of private facilities: https://bit.ly/fasilitiswasta,” he shared.

Also Read: JUST IN: BA.5 Variant Confirmed In Malaysia, Causing Recent Outbreak