KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Malaysia has granted conditional approval for the Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech to be used as a booster shot, the Health Ministry said on Friday (Oct 8).

The approval allows the vaccine to be used only on adults aged 18 and above, at least six months after they have received their second dose, the ministry said in a statement.

Authorities earlier said booster shots would not be compulsory but were highly recommended for those in vulnerable and high-risk groups.

The mixing of different vaccines will also be allowed for booster doses. In addition to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, Malaysia uses vaccines made by Britain's AstraZeneca and Chinese firms Sinovac and CanSino Biologics in its national inoculation campaign.

About 64 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million population are fully vaccinated, including 89 per cent of adults.