This came about following reports that pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer are making plans for such jabs. Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Prof Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said local data must be collected to determine how long the Covid-19 vaccines were effective for. “The rapid evolution of the virus in this pandemic means vaccines need to remain effective against newer variants. “Booster doses will depend on which vaccines have been administered to vaccine recipients. “Not all vaccines are equally effective and we need local data for this, ” he said. Dr Awang Bulgiba, who is the head of the Independent Covid-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee, said it had recommended a voluntary Covid-19 vaccination registry to be set up to compile such data.