Appointments For 2nd Dose Of AstraZeneca Are Going Out. Here's What You Need To Know
This comes as the interval between doses has now been shortened from 12 to nine weeks.
By Ahmad Hamizan @ Mike Miz — 02 Jul 2021, 03:49 PM — Updated over 3 years ago
As of today, 2 July, many of those who opted-in for the AstraZeneca vaccine have started receiving their second dose appointments via the MySejahtera app
Earlier this morning, social media was abuzz with people sharing updates about receiving their appointments for the second dose while urging others to check their MySejahtera as well.
The British-made vaccine had been dropped from the mainstream National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme back in April before a single shot was administered amidst public concern over its purported side effects. It was then offered as a voluntary vaccination option in a bid to slowly quell public mistrust.
After a promising test run – where all of the initial 268,000 slots opened to residents of the Klang Valley were snapped up within three hours – a second opt-in rollout of roughly 1.1 million doses was expanded to also include Penang, Johor, and Sarawak. This, too, proved popular, and as such the AstraZeneca vaccine was duly re-added into the Programme at the end of May.
The roll-out of appointments also comes as the interval between doses has now been shortened from 12 to nine weeks
According to Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the decision was taken amidst "greater clarity of the delivery schedule".
This follows the government's efforts to hasten vaccination rates, after missing a key early target of fully vaccinating 10% of the population by the end of June.
The shorter interval, coupled with the delivery of one million doses donated by Japan yesterday, 1 July – with another one million due to arrive from the US at the end of the week – sees greater optimism that the new deadline of mid-July can be achieved.
Meanwhile, a recent study states that the AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy is boosted by 26.3% if the intervals are over 12 weeks
The study, published in February in the renowned medical journal The Lancet, cites an efficacy rating of 55.1% if the two doses are administered between six weeks, and an 81.3% efficacy if the interval is longer than 12.
However, no definitive research has been published regarding a nine-week interval between doses.
It is widely believed that this method would result in efficacy between the two values, but the current consensus is inconclusive.
