KUALA LUMPUR – Bedridden individuals and their caregivers in Malaysia have started receiving their Covid-19 vaccines under a door-to-door programme by non-governmental organisations (NGO) aiming to reach underserved communities.
Mercy Malaysia Health Unit head Dr Mohammad Iqbal Omar said Mercy and other NGOs aim to vaccinate some 22,000 individuals here and in Selangor listed as bedridden in government databases.
“It’s a pilot project for the NGOs. It is very important for us,” he said, adding the importance of maintaining vaccine integrity.
If successful, the door-to-door vaccination programme will serve as a blueprint for providing shots to hard-to-reach communities in Malaysia, such as those in the interior, the Orang Asli and refugees.
He added that other NGOs involved in this effort include Imaret and the National Cancer Society.
The Health Ministry and Welfare Department provided the names and addresses of the vaccine recipients.
Eleven households comprising 36 people in Beranang and Semenyih were identified for vaccinations yesterday, and to get to the houses, a van carrying the vaccines and personnel had to travel through narrow roads into areas with dense foliage and patchy internet connection.
Serinang Subi, who can barely walk for the past four years due to rheumatoid arthritis, was happy to hear from the Welfare Department that she and her family would not need to travel to get their shots.
“The department said they were coming over, so we need not travel and queue up. This saves us a lot of trouble,” she said.
The 69-year-old said she was, at first, worried about getting the jab, but decided to take it since she was at risk of severe illness.
In total, 33 out of 36 people received their first shot of the Cominarty vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech yesterday. – Bernama, July 7, 2021
