Malaysia shortens booster jab interval, lifts African nations travel ban

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia will allow all adults to take their Covid-19 booster dose 3 months after their last shot, halving the interval previously proposed for Pfizer and AstraZeneca recipients as it seeks to slow the spead of Omicron.

Malaysia will also lift its travel ban on 8 African nations as the restrictions "make no sense anymore because Omicron is coming from all the other countries," said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in a briefing Tuesday (Dec 28).

They will be added to the list of high-risk nations, which include the UK, the US and India.

Malaysians are "strongly advised" against unnecessary travel to the 18 countries on the high-risk list.

Malaysia has detected 306 possible cases of the Omicron variant among travellers from Dec 21 to 25, and is now awaiting the results of whole genome sequencing testing.

BLOOMBERG