SIBU, Sept 22: A number of elderly folks here are adopting a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot.
Having already received two doses, they want to know how safe the booster dose is.
Former chairman of Sarawak Central Region Hotels Association, Johnny Wong revealed he would not rush to get the booster dose like what he did for the first two doses.
“Is it necessary for senior citizen to have a third dose? I will wait and see the public response first before deciding whether to go for it if it is made available. If the majority of the senior citizens want it, then we will go for it. In the meantime, it is a ‘no’ for me,” said Wong who completed his two doses in May together with his wife.
Wong, 81, and his wife, 80, have comorbiditis of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Retiree Peter Koh, 69, is not against the booster dose. However, he will also not jump at the chance to get it.
“I will wait for the sharing of those who take the booster dose. I want to know the effectiveness of it and how safe it is from them first before I agree to it,” he said.
Koh belongs to the high-risk group as he has diabetes and high blood pressure.
Cafe operator Peter Tang, 68, said he would accept a booster dose if given the same vaccine as his first two doses.
“If I am given a different type of vaccine for the third dose, I will turn it down. But I believe that the government will not say that we have to receive whatever type of vaccine if it is made available,” he added.
Tang reasoned that he needs the booster dose as different people have different levels of immunity after the first two doses and also because the coronavirus keeps mutating.
“A person’s immunity might be 70 per cent and another person 60 per cent as the vaccine’s effectiveness might wane over time. We don’t know whether the coronavirus will mutate again but to play safe, I will go for booster dose,” he said.
State Disaster Management Committee adviser Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian had on Sept 10 said the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose might be made available for Sarawakians in October as inconclusive data has suggested that protection against the disease could wane over a period of time and that might be the reason for the recent soaring case counts in the State. — DayakDaily
