KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 – The chances of getting infected or dying from Covid-19 among people who receive vaccine boosters is three to four times lower than double vaccinated individuals in Malaysia.
Researchers from the Recovam real-world vaccine efficacy study led by the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) also found that unvaccinated people are nine and 62 times more likely to get infected and die from Covid-19 respectively compared to individuals inoculated with a third coronavirus vaccine dose.
“Unvaccinated are nine times more likely to get infected and 62 times more likely to die from Covid-19 compared to those who have completed vaccination and received a booster shot,” ICR director Dr Kalaiarasu Peariasamy mentioned in a tweet on January 8.
From December 1, 2021 until January 6 this year, Malaysia reported 10,874 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 population among unvaccinated individuals, compared to 4,255 cases per 100,000 among the fully vaccinated and 1,238 cases per 100,000 among those who have been boosted.
This indicates that unvaccinated and double-vaccinated people are 8.8 and 3.4 times more likely to be infected with Covid-19 respectively compared to individuals who received boosters or third shots.
In the same period of time, 555 Covid deaths per 100,000 people were recorded among unvaccinated individuals, compared to 32 fatalities per 100,000 among the fully vaccinated and nine per 100,000 among those who have been boosted.
This shows that double vaccinated individuals are 3.6 times more likely to die from Covid-19 compared to people who have received vaccine boosters, whereas unvaccinated people are 61.7 times more likely to die from the disease than those who got third jabs.
Last December 28, Dr Kalaiarasu noted that age, underlying medical conditions, and unvaccinated status were the primary risk factors associated with Covid-19 fatalities in Malaysia.
“Complete vaccination and boosters are effective in reducing severe outcomes in Covid-19,” he tweeted.
ICR’s research on age-specific Covid-19 mortality rates from March 1 to December 25 last year found that unvaccinated people with comorbidities had the highest death rates across all age groups in Malaysia.
Individuals who received third vaccine doses had the lowest death rates across all age groups; zero Covid-19 deaths were recorded among the boosted without known comorbidities in all age groups except those aged 40 to 50 years (0.05 deaths per 100,000) and among 60- to 70-year-olds (0.04 deaths per 100,000).
The extremely low Covid-19 mortality rates per 100,000 among those who received booster jabs extend throughout all age groups; the highest is in those aged 80 years and older with comorbidities at 2.52 deaths per 100,000.
In comparison, among the above-80s, 679.35 deaths per 100,000 population were recorded in the unvaccinated with comorbidities – the highest mortality rate across age, health status, and vaccination status – as well as 192.19 deaths per 100,000 in the fully vaccinated with underlying health conditions.
Interestingly, the Covid-19 mortality rate for those aged 60 years and older was higher among fully vaccinated people with underlying health conditions compared to healthy unvaccinated individuals of the same age with no known comorbidities – a reversal of the trend in younger age groups.
Only about 53 per cent of some 3.5 million people aged 60 and older in Malaysia have received Covid-19 booster shots or third doses as of January 8.
As of yesterday, 33.4 per cent adults aged 18 and above have received boosters, whereas 97.7 per cent of adults have been inoculated with two doses. In terms of the total population in Malaysia, nearly 79 per cent have been fully vaccinated and 24 per cent boosted.
