Booster Shots Mandatory For Sinovac Recipients, People Over 60

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced that booster shots will now be required for those over 18 who received Sinovac for their primary series — as well as all individuals aged 60 and over, regardless of what vaccine they received — to retain their fully vaccinated status on MySejahtera, in line with the recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The deadline for these two groups to get their booster shot is February 2022, after which they will lose access to the privileges afforded for those considered fully vaccinated. In late November, the Technical Working Group (TWG) under the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force – Booster (CITF-B) made all individuals over 18 eligible for boosters, though the additional dose has yet to be approved for adolescents.

MoH is recommending Pfizer boosters as the preferred shot while AstraZeneca is available as an alternative. As for Sinovac boosters, they will only be given for free to those who cannot take other vaccine brands, due to limited supply. This means that those who do not qualify but still wish to get Sinovac will have to pay the private market price.

Those who have not yet been given an appointment on MySejahtera can find nearby PPVs on the ProtectHealth website and call them to be on the waiting list for the booster. To cope with the new mandatory booster directive, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that MoH will be reopening mega PPVs soon, starting with Klang Valley.

In our effort to ramp up booster shot, mega PPVs will be reopened starting with Klang Valley. All 60 & above or Sinovac recipients must get a booster latest by Feb 2022 to keep fully vaccinated status. #PICKBooster

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— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) December 16, 2021

Additionally, there are also certain PPVs that are offering walk-in boosters — a member of our team who received the Sinovac vaccine successfully walked in to receive their Pfizer booster without an appointment. However, there is no specific list for which private clinics are offering walk-in shots.

Sinovac recipients are eligible for the booster dose three months after they receive their second dose. Meanwhile, those who received Pfizer or AstraZeneca are only eligible after six months.

(Source: MoH/Twitter, Khairy Jamaluddin/Twitter)

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