Pharmaniaga Group managing director Zulkarnain Md Eusope said the vaccine will be available at selected private hospitals and clinics as an option for individuals who wish to have the Sinovac vaccine booster dose for themselves.
“We hope that our economy will be revived with this effort, ensuring the well-being of the people and business continuity. But most importantly, so that lives can be saved,” he said in a statement today.
Early this month, it was reported that Pharmaniaga had offered Sinovac to the health ministry for it to cater to those preferring to take the vaccine booster from China.
Zulkarnain said the Sinovac Covid-19 booster dose was approved for individuals aged 18 years and above who had received the same type of vaccine (homologous), and will be administered three to six months after the second dose, as outlined by the Covid-19 immunisation task force.
He noted that a number of Chinese provinces and cities had begun giving vaccine boosters to people who received their first two shots at least six months ago.
“In China, the booster shot rollout came after close to 80% of the population had been vaccinated to give the optimum protection against the virus and new variants.
“According to research in China, booster shots given at an interval of six to 12 months after the second dose leads to a strong boost in immune response, with geometric mean titers (GMT) increasing to approximately 140 in adults and even higher in the elderly aged above 60 years,” he said.
Zulkarnain added that the GMT of six months after the third dose was also found to be higher than the peak of the second dose.
Studies also showed a higher persistence of antibodies of up to 20-fold, six months after the booster dose compared with after the second dose, indicating a longer duration of protection from Covid-19 and new variants.
“The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is safe as it is developed using inactivated virus, a well-established technology of more than 40 years that is also being used in many types of vaccines currently in the market including those for polio, Hepatitis A and rabies,” he said.
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