KUALA LUMPUR: Private hospitals are willing to offer their assistance to the government in administering Covid-19 booster shots to high-risk groups.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government would administer a third Covid-19 vaccine dose to high-risk groups once the country's vaccination rate surpasses 80 per cent of the adult population.
These high-risk groups include healthcare frontliners, immunocompromised individuals, elderlies with comorbidities and those residing and working at long-term health care facilities.
Private Hospitals Malaysia Association president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said Malaysia must make early preparations in the possibility of another global shortage of vaccines, as other countries had begun to provide booster shots.
"Private hospitals will once again offer their assistance to vaccinate these groups as soon as the Health Ministry releases the guidelines.
"While administering the first and second dose of vaccines, private hospitals had commenced simultaneously with the government hospitals in vaccinating frontline healthcare workers.
"Subsequently, private hospitals vaccinated the public at their premises in stages and provided manpower to the mega vaccination centres.
"It is very timely that the government has made this crucial decision on the third dose as many other countries have already commenced this exercise.
"Our fear is there may be another shortage of vaccines globally when there is a rush for the third dose," he said in a statement today.
Dr Kuljit said the country should have 80 per cent of its adult population vaccinated by next month and hoped for the vaccination exercise would be further improved.
"Early participation of private hospitals and general practitioners will be important to enhance the availability of the third vaccine dose to the selected groups who will be vaccinated.
"The decision of providing a third dose to the general public should be made soon as more clinical data is beginning to be evident.
"The first vaccinated group should have received seven months of protection since receiving their second dose in March 2021 and scientific data have suggested that a booster dose may be required about this time.
"We aim to keep the number of people getting infected low so that the economies can be opened and both domestic and international travel will be further relaxed," he said.
Dr Kuljit also encouraged those who remain reluctant to receive the vaccines to get themselves inoculated as soon as possible to achieve herd immunity.
"The strength of the herd immunity depends on the number of vaccinated population and the third dose should further fortify the protection."