By Rachel Mina & Aisyah Azzahra Suhiri
KUCHING: The administration of a booster dose will help to activate the waning immune response, said Dr Siti Fairouz Ibrahim.
The microbiologist who is attached with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said that it is a normal phenomenon for the immune response to wane over time if there is no antigenic stimulation.
She was commenting on Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian saying that an additional shot of Covid-19 vaccine is most likely to be given in October.
“It is not cost-effective for our body to keep producing immunoglobulin or antibodies so a booster dose will trigger immune response via the B and or T memory lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system,” she said when contacted yesterday (Sept 12).
However, she noted that more studies are needed to observe the most effective time for a booster dose to be given.
With the spike of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak, the state is considering giving a booster shot to its population to further help in curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently said that the increase of Covid-19 infections in Sarawak could be due to the waning of the effect of the vaccine over time.
