KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Although taking the second booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is not mandatory, those who voluntarily take it have their own reasons why they feel compelled to do so.

Datin Fuzianna Ibrahim, 59 who suffers from lymphoma cancer, said she chose to get the second booster dose because the illness she was dealing with affected her immune system, exposing her to a high risk of contracting Covid-19.

"Indeed, in my case, (taking the second booster dose) is very necessary because not only do I have cancer, but I had a stem cell transplant which further decreases my body's immunity.

"I really want to (get it) because I have comorbidity and I do some amount of travelling, I want to feel more protected... So I asked the doctor who treated my cancer if it was possible and he (the doctor) highly recommended it," she told Bernama.

The former pharmacist also suggested that those who suffer from cancer like her or who are at risk of being exposed to Covid-19 infection due to other factors such as old age not be afraid of getting a second booster dose.

Media practitioner Anis Hazim Sharudin, 26, made the decision to take the second booster dose due to her frequent travels abroad.

"I am aware of the higher risk of infection with Covid-19 when I am in a closed area such as in an airplane and I have previously tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from travelling abroad.

"Adapting to life in the new norm, especially the need to come back to work in the office made me want to take a booster dose as protection," she said when contacted by Bernama.

Anis added that the process of getting a booster dose through the MySejahtera application is also very easy for her given her busy work schedule.

"I highly recommend it to family and friends. Everything is done via the MySejahtera application. It takes a week to book and the clinic of my choice is only 10 minutes from home, no need to queue and the whole process is less than 30 minutes," she said.

Content creator Zainol Arif Zainal Bahrin, 25, who will be taking his second booster dose tomorrow, feels that it is his social responsibility to curb the spread of Covid-19 as well as to protect himself.

"I was inclined to take a booster shot to protect myself and the community, we need to take care of ourselves. I strongly recommend that people also take a booster shot in addition to protecting themselves and their families to curb a surge in cases like what happened before," he said.

Recently, Health director-general of Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said booster doses are offered at 1,293 vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide, namely at 104 Health Ministry hospitals, 754 health clinics and 435 private PPVs.

He said, people in priority groups can get vaccinations without an appointment or via 'walk-in' at a hospital, health clinic or private PPVs, while other categories need to book an appointment through the MySejahtera application or call a private PPV.

Based on the latest data on the KKMNOW website, a total of 16,297,142 individuals, or 49.9 per cent of the country's population had taken the first booster dose, and from that same figure only 759,815 or 2.3 per cent chose to get the second booster dose. — Bernama