COVID-19 Vaccine: Pahang residents urged to keep booster dose appointments

KUANTAN, Dec 7  -- Pahang residents who have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose appointments via the MySejahtera application, are urged to take it (booster) immediately, said State Health (JKNP) director Datuk Dr Nor Azimi Yunus.

She said this is because the vaccine booster dose is needed to help protect one against COVID-19 infection as the level of antibodies drop six months after the vaccine's second dose is administered.

A total of 40 per cent of Pahang residents who received their appointment dates were no-shows for their booster shots.

Dr Nor Azimi said some in the state still seemed ‘reluctant’ to get their booster doses even though 1.02 million people were eligible for it when the booster dose programme in Pahang started on Oct 15.

"Even though 1.02 million residents were confirmed to have received their two-dose vaccine and are eligible for the booster dose, as of Dec 5, only 8.4 per cent or 85,788 individuals received the (booster) vaccine," she said in a statement, here, today. 

JKNP is currently in the process of implementing joint programmes with the Disaster Operations Control Centre (PKOB) and District Health Offices (PKD), as well as with populated locations such as mosques and supermarkets to increase public understanding of the importance of taking the booster shots.

"Although taking the vaccine booster shots is a voluntary decision, we should make good choices in order to protect ourselves and others. The vaccine is proven to be able to lessen the severity of (COVID-19) infection and complications arising from the infection," she added.

-- BERNAMA