MOH to assess need to vaccinate recovered patients

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) will assess the need of Covid-19 patients who have recovered to receive vaccination against the virus, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Dr Noor Hisham said the antibodies generated by former patients who experienced level one to level three of the infection with mild or no symptoms, might not be sufficient to fight against the virus, therefore they might need to be vaccinated.

“If the infection was at level four or five, the generated antibodies would be more permanent and higher, but we will assess the matter,” he told Bernama here yesterday.

Malaysia will create history by rolling out the country’s biggest vaccination exercise ever, known as the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme today, two days ahead of schedule. Dr Noor Hisham will be among the first individuals to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that will mark the programme launch.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said the programme launch would also mark the beginning of the end of the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the country, by protection from the inside via vaccination.

He said it was in addition to external protection through compliance with all preventive measures and control of public health as well as adherence to the standard operating procedures set to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

“Alhamdulillah ... we as health workers can only make effort and do our level best (to curb the spread of the infection) and put our trust in Allah SWT,” he said.