BUTTERWORTH: A business consultant took the second Covid-19 booster shot today to prepare for his business trip to Germany next month.
G. Mani Kandan, 34, said he needed to resolve a business transaction in Germany next month and decided to take the second booster dose as part of the standard operating procedure (SOP).
He said Germany does not allow those who had not taken the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines into the country for safety reasons.
"I am a recipient of the Sinovac vaccine and although I have taken the Pfizer booster dose, it is still not accepted as entry into Germany.
"To ensure I am a primary recipient, I need to take another booster shot. This will mean I have taken four doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
"It is not an issue for me and I do not have any doubts. To me, this vaccine is protection to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19," he said when met at the offsite vaccination centre at Tapak Eskpo Seberang Jaya here.
Meanwhile, P. Nauta Kumar, 41, who will join Mani Kandan for the business trip, also took the second booster dose.
"Luckily, I rejected the Sinovac vaccine during my first booster shot. Otherwise, it will be an issue as many European countries have changed their SOP involving travellers.
"So, for those who are planning to go overseas, they must first check on the SOP of that country.
"For me, it is better to take the booster dose as a precautionary measure. Don't worry and don't believe the rumours, as we have already seen the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine," he added.
A spokesman at the vaccination centre, Dr Navin Tangasami, said they started receiving recipients for the second booster dose through walk-ins yesterday.
They only needed to show their travel documents for confirmation by the state Health Department.
"For now, the second booster dose is only open for senior citizens aged 60 and above.
"For those below 60, they just need to produce us with the documents for confirmation by the department before the vaccination process," he added.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had recently said that those above 60 with high comorbidities could choose to get a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine booster.
He, however, stressed that the fourth round of vaccination was not compulsory and optional to this group of people.
