A large number of tourists are expected to arrive from China, which is struggling with a surge of infections after easing controls.

The bivalent Covid-19 vaccine was granted conditional approval by the Drug Control Authority last month.

FMT takes a closer look at what you need to know about the vaccines.

What is a Covid-19 bivalent vaccine?

It is essentially an upgraded version of Covid-19 vaccines and aimed at providing improved protection against new subvariants.

The early vaccines were monovalent, meaning they only contained the spike protein of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The new bivalent vaccines contain the spike protein of the original strain and also those of the Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.4-5.

How effective is it?

According to a study published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s morbidity and mortality weekly report, the new bivalent vaccine by Pfizer and Moderna “produce higher antibody responses against the BA.4/BA.5 subvariants” than the original shots.

The vaccines are of greater benefit to those aged 18 to 49 than to older adults.

What are the side effects?

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, individuals may experience side effects that were commonly reported by those who previously received mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.

These include pain and/or tenderness at the injection site, fatigue, headache and muscle pain.

Who can take the bivalent vaccine?

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said individuals aged 12 and above who received their primary Covid-19 vaccine doses more than three months ago are eligible to receive the bivalent shot.

However, only those who previously received Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or CanSino’s Covid-19 vaccines for their primary vaccination are eligible for the updated booster.

Those who received the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines should not take it.

Last week health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa urged the public to get their second Covid-19 booster dose.

Some 49.8% of Malaysians have received their first booster dose and only 1.9% the second booster dose.