KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Individuals who lost their complete vaccination status from April 1 due to not getting their booster shots can still do the same activities as those who are completely vaccinated, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
These activities include dining-in at restaurants, entering shopping malls, workplaces and places of worship.
“As such, premise owners need to ensure that only customers or visitors who have at least completed their primer vaccination shots be allowed to enter their premises,” he said in a statement today.
He said, as previously announced, all Sinovac and Sinopharm recipients aged 18 and above as well as primer dose recipients aged 60 and above would lose their complete vaccination status in the MySejahtera app if they failed to get their booster shots.
However, he said the history of the primer vaccinations will still remain on the MySejahtera app.
Khairy said an individual is considered as having completed their primer dose vaccinations when they fulfilled certain criteria, including completing the 14-day waiting period after getting the second shot for two shot vaccines like Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
In addition, for single shot vaccines like Johnson & Johnson dan CanSino, the individual must also complete the 14-day waiting period after getting the shot before being allowed to engage in all normal activities.
For foreign travellers entering Malaysia, they need to comply with the set standard operating procedure (SOP), which is only travellers who have completed their vaccinations (Both primer dose vaccinations and booster shot vaccinations) would be permitted to enter premises.
“The announcement of the latest SOP, however, does not mean that Sinovac recipients aged 18 and above and recipients of all vaccinations aged 60 and above do not need their booster shots,” he added.
Khairy said assessment data conducted on all vaccine recipients in Malaysia revealed that the level of protection against COVID-19 infections dropped by 20 per cent for double Pfizer doses and 48 per cent for Sinovac double doses in the period of three to five months after the primer vaccinations.
According to him, booster shots will bring up the levels of antibodies in the body, and reduce the risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19 infections.
“As such, the Health Ministry would like to advise and encourage those who haven’t received their booster shots to get them immediately,” he added.
