JOHOR BARU, Nov 4 — Johor DAP’s Dr Boo Cheng Hau has urged the Health Ministry to share more research data and findings on heterologous (different vaccine) and homologous (same vaccine) booster shots to convince recipients of their benefits.

The medical practitioner said in the past week, about 20 per cent of recipients, to whom he had been assigned to administer the third dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, had refused the mix-and-match shot.

“They had already received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and felt confident about it without the third dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

“Even though the Health Ministry approved the mix-and-match of Sinovac with Pfizer as a booster, a substantial number of vaccine recipients doubted the regiment.

“This is despite China’s authorities also considering the mix-and-match approach as an effective strategy to contain Covid-19 variants,” said Dr Boo in a statement issued here today.

Dr Boo pointed out that if a significant number of vaccine recipients refuse the mix-and-match of Sinovac and Pfizer, this will affect the country’s herd immunity time frame.

“Our government needs to make public more clinical data to convince the reluctant vaccine recipients.

“On the other hand, the Health Ministry has to respect the rights of those who prefer Sinovac as the third dose booster and also announce the clinical data on such homologous prime boosters,” he said.

Dr Boo said based on news reports, on July 25, Sinovac announced the efficacy of its homologous prime booster clinical data.

“After 28 days of the third dose among those aged 18 to 59, the Covid neutralising antibody level increases by three- to five-fold; for those aged 60 and above, the neutralising antibody level increases by a maximum of seven-fold seven days after the booster dose.

“In general, medical experts have agreed that both heterologous and homologous prime boosters could increase the neutralising antibody level even though heterologous prime boost could be more effective,” he said, adding that the Health Ministry needs to make public Malaysia’s own clinical data on these issues.

Last month, the government announced that Malaysia would begin administering booster shots to priority recipients, including the elderly, the immunocompromised and frontline workers.

Currently, in Malaysia, recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are set to receive a booster shot of the same type, six months after their second dose.

Sinovac recipients, meanwhile, will be getting a Pfizer booster three months after their second dose.