KUALA LUMPUR – The decision to include the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the national immunisation drive has received mixed reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the divide.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said while he supports the use of the jab, the government will need to properly manage public confidence so that issues with select-vaccine hesitation, as well as the over-availability of certain vaccines, do not occur.
“The issue is that many individuals, especially older folk, still have vaccine hesitancy, with most opting to wait for the Pfizer or Sinovac vaccine instead,” the medical school graduate told The Vibes.
“If the government fails to address this and goes ahead with removing AstraZeneca, the possibility of shortages of the Pfizer and Sinovac vaccines could happen, as opposed to an overabundant supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine. This has to be seriously addressed.”
To avoid this scenario, he said, the AstraZeneca jab should be maintained as an opt-in, and at the same time, integrated into the MySejahtera app for registration purposes.
"Hopefully, as time passes, with the right drive by the government, when people realise that getting any type of vaccine is sufficient, AstraZeneca could be included in the national immunisation drive.”
To boost the immunisation campaign, the government has recommended setting up mobile vaccination teams to travel to remote and rural locations, and target vaccinations for senior citizens and the disabled.
“The hospitals have their medical records for reference, which can be used to detect (people’s) location and get them vaccinated. A mobile vaccination team can help those who find it difficult to travel to the cities, as well as convince those who are hesitant to get their injections,” said Dr Yii.
Sharing his sentiments is Klang MP Charles Santiago, who warned that the sudden integration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the mainstream programme could lead to unintended consequences.
"As it is, the perception, especially by older folk, that the Pfizer and Sinovac vaccines are preferred to AstraZeneca has not been addressed very well,” he told The Vibes.
"It is clear from the registration levels last Sunday that many slots were still available even at the end of the day.”
He suggested that Putrajaya issue all three brands of vaccines under different, but strict, timelines, to increase the immunisation rate and ensure either an oversupply or shortage does not happen.
"It is not wrong for people to be given options, and for them to make informed choices. But their choices should not result in such scenarios, and the government has to go all out to correct this perception.”
Santiago also suggested that the government engage some 5,000 general practitioners nationwide, as well as army medical personnel, in mobile vaccination drives in selected areas.
“This move, which is being adopted by other countries, can increase the vaccination rate and help us achieve herd immunity.”
Kuala Langat MP Datuk Xavier Jayakumar said the decision to include the AstraZeneca jab is welcomed, provided the vaccination registration system is quickly improved.
“It is good to give people the option to choose which vaccine they would like to get. I admit that the government has experienced hiccups in the vaccination roll-out.
“At the same time, I am also aware of the people’s anxiety in terms of trying to get their registration though. The government has pledged to sort this out by early next year. So, it is only a matter of time before we are done.”
He said Putrajaya should start negotiating for more vaccination centres to be opened across the country, and also allow private hospitals to administer the Covid-19 vaccine so that herd immunity can be attained.
Their views come as National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said the AstraZeneca vaccine will no longer be an opt-in programme, but included in the nationwide vaccination drive.
However, this does not affect those who have opted in previously, including individuals who signed up yesterday. Only the next AstraZeneca shipment will be included in the mainstream programme.
The government is also reviewing the possibility of allowing people to choose the jab they want via MySejahtera, which will be upgraded soon, said Khairy.
“I apologise to all those who had issues accessing the vaccine registration website yesterday,” he said, adding that “it could have been much, much better executed”.
“The user experience (yesterday) left many disappointed as a result of the system’s failure to efficiently process extremely high demand.”
He reiterated that the AstraZeneca opt-in programme was rolled out after considering public hesitancy following reports on the jab potentially causing blood clots, though the risk is minuscule.
He expressed confidence that Malaysia will be able to administer 150,000 jabs per day based on the vaccine delivery schedules for June and in view of efforts to open more vaccination centres nationwide.
He added that vaccination appointments for media practitioners will be pushed out in the first week of June.
However, “if you have already made an appointment under the AstraZeneca opt-in programme, keep your appointment”, he said. – The Vibes, May 27, 2021
.jpg)
