PETALING JAYA: The healthcare system faces the risk of being overwhelmed unless more people take the booster shots, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) warned today.
Its president Dr Koh Kar Chai said with the highly infectious Omicron variant in the community, it was advisable to get whichever booster is available without delay.
“While most cases now are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, there are still cases of severe or long Covid even after full vaccination. The number of such cases can still overwhelm the national healthcare system.
“So, it is best to get the maximum protection available with the booster shots. Don’t add yourselves to the daily rate of severe Covid cases or even deaths,” he said.
Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Koh Kar Chai.
He added that senior citizens and anyone with comorbidities face a higher risk of contracting severe Covid-19.
“The government has made available choices on the type of vaccines available, though by and large, Comirnaty by Pfizer is more accessible. The next available choice which is Coronavac by Sinovac is also available but not in all vaccination centres.
“However, the best vaccine is still the one that is in your arm,” Koh said.
The health ministry reported 25,099 Covid-19 cases yesterday.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 100 of the new cases, or 0.4%, were in Category 3, 4 or 5 at the time of diagnosis. The total number of infections now stands at 3,246,779.
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