Vaccine hesitancy is a challenge to the government’s plan to effectively battle the Omicron wave, especially when the caseload is expected to increase exponentially over the coming weeks.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Pharmacovigilance Special Committee is awaiting the completion of reports before evaluating the remaining 22 deaths reported among Covid-19 booster vaccine recipients.
As of Feb 16, only 7.1 million of 10 million people fully vaccinated with Sinovac have received boosters, leaving about 3 million adults who will lose their fully vax status on March 1 without a 3rd jab.
MOH's ICR cites 4 studies in HK, Brazil, Chile, and Malaysia that find a Pfizer booster for Sinovac recipients is more effective against Covid-19, especially Omicron, than a 3rd Sinovac dose.
From March 1, triple-vax close contacts who received first two Sinovac doses and seniors aged 60 and older must self-isolate for 7 days, compared to 5 days for others with three doses.