Boosters for teens? Not yet

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is not considering offering booster Covid-19 vaccine doses to adolescents at this point in time, says its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pic).

This is despite countries like Singapore and the United States recently moving to authorise a third jab for those aged 12 to 17, amid the current surge in cases due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said, however, there is no evidence yet that healthy children and adolescents would need the booster dose.

“As for now, it’s not being considered. The Health Ministry’s policies and guidelines are based on scientific facts and data,” said Dr Noor Hisham when contacted yesterday.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Jan 18 said there is no evidence at present that healthy children and adolescents neeed booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

She had said while there seemed to be some waning of vaccine immunity over time against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, more research needed to be done to ascertain who needs booster doses.

Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist and biostatistician Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman also said offering booster doses to adolescents and children would depend on clinical data.

“Whether they need boosters or not, it depends on the clinical and epidemic situation.

“If there are strong indications that they are necessary, then the boosters may be offered to the adolescents and the younger age group,” she said.

According to the Health Ministry’s CovidNow website, 88.6% of adolescents in Malaysia have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Friday (Jan 28).

Consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS said at present, it is more pressing to complete the Covid-19 vaccination drive for children, which will start on Feb 3 in the Klang Valley first for children aged between five and 12.

Dr Amar said offering boosters to the adolescent group at this time, may restrict the vaccine access for others.

“As of now, we don’t have the data yet on whether it would be beneficial to give boosters to the younger age groups.

“We also have to keep in mind that children’s immune response is different from that of adults’,” he said.

Dr Amar encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible but noted that some parents are still hesitant about giving the Pfizer vaccine to young children due to potential risks of adverse reactions or potential long-term effects.

“Some are still unclear about vaccinating young children but the dosage being offered to them, which is 10mcg or one-third of the adult dose, is much safer and the side effects are lower, based on data from other countries such as Singapore.

“Parents are advised to trust the reliability of the data and know the benefits of giving the Covid-19 vaccine to their children,” he said.

As at Jan 20, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said there were 144 deaths due to Covid-19 among those aged 18 and below, with 31 of them being children aged five to 11.

Khairy also said 580,000 children aged 18 and under have been infected with Covid-19 since the pandemic hit the country in 2020.

Dr Amar pointed out that besides the alarming number of deaths among children, it is unknown how many kids are currently suffering from the effects of long Covid post-infection.

“It will become a long-term health issue for the children and can also attack the brain and other functions,” he said.

Before vaccinating children, Dr Amar advised parents to study the Clinical Guidelines on Covid-19 Vaccination in Malaysia online booklet so that they know what to look out for and can consult their family doctors.

He said if a child experiences any concerning side effects post-vaccination, parents can show their doctor Annex 4 which is on the last page of the guidelines.

It highlights the diagnosis and management algorithm for myocarditis or myopericarditis following Covid-19 vaccination in children and adolescents.

Within a week of receiving the vaccine, parents should be aware of warning signs and symptoms such as chest pain or breathlessness or palpitation, fatigue, fainting, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, low grade fever, or a combination of these symptoms.

“Parents need to know the symptoms and study the guidelines so that they can consult their doctor,” he said.

Dr Amar also suggested that the management of all schools focus on improving ventilation in classrooms, offices, toilets as well as other rooms, as a way to curb the virus’ spread.