KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa today assured that the Covid-19 bivalent vaccine will be supplied to the country soon, following the approval of the conditional registration given by the Drug Control Authority recently.

She said an announcement will be made after the supply is received along with detailed eligibility criteria.

"Accordingly, the Ministry of Health (MoH) urges the public who received their first booster doses which have exceeded the period of six months in order to get a second booster and not wait for the bivalent vaccine.

"This is because the available monovalent vaccine is still very effective in reducing serious symptoms and preventing death,” Dr Zaliha said in a statement this morning.

She added that the MoH is hopeful that the percentage of booster doses takers will continue to increase, especially from the risk group.

She said currently only 49.8 per cent only Malaysians have received the first booster dose vaccine and only 1.9 per cent had taken the second booster dose vaccine.

"In addition, I would like to continue to remind the people to continue to take care of their health and their families and always adhere to the recommendations and advice,” she said.

Dr Zaliha said that based on the information reported by China to the World Health Organisation, variants and subvariants found in China have also been detected in Malaysia.

"Referring to available information, the Covid-19 vaccine is effective in providing protection from getting severe symptoms due to the Covid-19 virus infection and it should reduce hospital admissions,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha said MoH had placed priority on monitoring the increasing cases of Covid-19 in China as well as restrictions that have been made by several other countries against travellers from China.

The MoH will also improve the containment method of Covid-19 infection spread in the country as well as preparedness to deal with any possible increase in cases, she said.

"With the extension of Malaysia as an ‘Infectious Endemic Area’ until June 2023, it gives room to the MoH to take any immediate action when it’s required.

"This includes changing existing policies, especially management of Covid-19 pandemic health care at the nation’s border (health border measures) as well as tightening the standard operating procedures (SOP) of health checks at all entrances into the country.

"It will be implemented if necessary, not only to visitors or travellers (Malaysian citizens and non-citizens) who arrive from China and even from all countries globally,” said Dr Zaliha.