KUALA LUMPUR – Elderly residents in nursing homes should be a priority in Phase 1 of the national vaccination programme, said Pakatan Harapan (PH), to reduce the burden on healthcare and lower mortality rates.
In a statement today, PH’s committee on Covid-19 vaccination said there is a huge urgency in prioritising vaccination of the elderly as they are often the most susceptible to more severe symptoms and death due to their age and other underlying diseases.
The committee highlighted recent clusters that involved nursing homes for the elderly – the Geronggang and Mas Merah clusters in Sarawak – with 51 cases and one death, as well as the Jalan Cheras cluster that has 24 cases so far.
“The risk of death for elderly care home residents is very high. Older people who are living in care homes are particularly vulnerable not just because of their medical condition, but also because of their cramped living conditions.
“By vaccinating and protecting those in elderly care homes in Phase 1, we can then reduce hospitalisation rate, especially for those who are admitted with more severe symptoms. This will also reduce the overall mortality rate, which will then reduce the burden on hospitals and our frontliners,” it said.
It added that based on data from Israel, which has prioritised vaccination for the elderly as the highest-priority group, the vaccine has successfully reduced infection rates by 94% and hospitalisation rates by about 90%, from the 600,000 who have received the vaccine.
“Elderly care homes can be super-spreaders if proactive preventive measures are not taken.”
In Malaysia, out of 2.3 million people above the age of 65, about 30,000 to 40,000 live in care homes or nursing homes and 8,000 are elderly care home workers, according to PH.
The country has an estimated 1,500 elderly care homes, out of which only 350 are registered. – The Vibes, February 18, 2021
