KUALA LUMPUR – The constant reminder, or “threat” as viewed by some, from Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to a segment of the public to get their Covid-19 booster shots or lose their fully vaccinated status may just be what is needed for Malaysians who are hesitant.
The question then arises – is the “threat” of losing one’s vaccination status ethical? Or will the ultimatum backfire on the government?
According to a medical expert, such a directive from Khairy and the Health Ministry (MoH) has certainly exposed the government to a severe boomerang effect.
While he appreciates the intention of MoH to encourage people to be inoculated with the booster dose, former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the “threatening” approach would be a deterring factor and could put people off from getting vaccinated or receiving their booster shots.
Rather than threatening the people, more explanation on the benefits of the booster dose is needed to encourage them to get their shots.
“I think such measures should be more accommodative rather than coercive in nature because the people still have doubts due to the complications of booster shots.
“Even though as a doctor, I encourage everyone to get boosted, there are people who are still hesitant,” the Gopeng MP told The Vibes.
Acknowledging that many vaccine recipients have suffered severe side-effects from their primary doses, Lee said the number of serious incidents of adverse effects following immunisation (Aefi) reported by the ministry is far too low to be believed.
On February 16, Anas Alam Faizli, the CEO of ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd, which comes under MoH, reported that 27 in one million vaccine recipients suffer from severe Aefi.
Setakat 11 Feb, 65,356,763 dos vaksin telah diberikan
— Anas Alam Faizli (@aafaizli) February 16, 2022
1,747 laporan AEFI serius diterima drpd pemberian vaksin ini
27 daripada 1 juta. 0.0027%
99.99% dos diberikan tanpa laporan AEFI serius
Nota: Laporan ini termasuk yg belum disabitkan kausaliti drpd vaksin
Vaksin selamat.
Therefore, Lee said, MoH should be more transparent in reporting severe incidents of Aefi and provide an alternative when implementing such restrictions, which will otherwise only contribute to the people’s hesitancy towards booster doses.
“Even though we know the booster shot helps (the people against getting infected with Covid-19), there are people who have doubts after suffering side-effects from the first two doses.
“If you were to impose such restrictions, it would be unfair for those who have reasons for not being administered with the booster shot,” the PKR lawmaker said.
On February 7, Khairy announced that adult recipients of the Sinovac vaccine as well as citizens aged 60 and above must take their booster shots before March 1 to retain their fully vaccinated status.
Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman begs to differ, saying that the people should not see the reminder to come forward for the booster dose as a warning or threat.
From a medical point of view, Dr Malina said the authorities ought to be stringent on this matter. The main purpose of the Covid-19 booster dose is to mitigate neutralising antibodies from fading following initial vaccinations, preventing susceptible individuals from being exposed to higher risk of infection, she stressed.
She asserted that the public health sector’s aim is to save lives. “It is instructed to protect the people, especially vulnerable persons from severe infection,” she said, when contacted by The Vibes.
She reminded that Khairy’s insistence would benefit the people as the booster shot serves as a tool to improve protection against the Covid-19 infection, particularly in facing the highly contagious Omicron variant. It will help prevent further transmissions and risks of severe infection and lower the rate of hospital admissions.
“If some people feel threatened by the redefinition, they should feel more threatened by the risk of going into ICUs (intensive care units) or long Covid-19 (ailments) for failing to heed the ministry’s advice,” Dr Malina said.
Khairy’s directive an update of public health policy
Former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad shares Dr Malina’s sentiments, stating that Khairy’s directive is an update of a public health policy in keeping and moving forward with science and evidence-based medicine.
Dr Dzulkefly said it seems apt for now, after an extended period allowed for the public to be informed and allayed of their fears and anxieties about vaccinations and vaccines.
“The time has come for us to be firm, as it is imperative to get people protected.
“No one wants another preventable death. Now that our mortality numbers have breached over 32,000, we must get boosted, as the risk of not doing so could be catastrophic,” the Kuala Selangor lawmaker said.
He admitted that he understands the sentiments that the people are harbouring, and it could partly be due to pandemic fatigue, but this is not the time to hoist the white flag.
Noting that MoH, which is often associated with despair, deaths and illnesses, has never been a popular ministry, he said people seem to always forget that many more are cured and saved.
“Admittedly it is very difficult to get everyone on board, but our vaccination rate is arguably amongst the top in the world. MoH has done a commendable job.
“The most important thing to know is that a lot of directives are usually not popular, as to do the right thing requires you to make bold and hard choices.”
For the record, Khairy has given adult Sinovac recipients aged 18 and above and all senior citizens until March 1 to get their booster doses, failing which their fully vaccinated statuses and privileges, such as dining in and travelling interstate will be revoked from their MySejahtera apps.
Bagi warga emas, status vaksinasi anda akan jadi TIDAK lengkap (warna putih dlm sijil digital MySJ) sekiranya tidak menerima dos penggalak sebelum 1 Mac. Sama juga kepada semua penerima Sinovac tidak kira umur. Top up perlindungan anda untuk selamat daripada Omicron. #PICKBooster
— Khairy Jamaluddin ??? (@Khairykj) February 8, 2022
At a press conference on Thursday, Khairy said approximately 70% of Malaysia’s adult population must get their booster shots in order to avoid a rise in serious and fatal cases, especially in view of the Omicron wave.
While approximately 13.6 million Malaysian adults have had their booster shots, another 2.8 million will have to do the same to meet the set 70% target.
He said only a total of 1.7 million can be vaccinated by March 1, based on the current vaccination rate of about 117,000 people getting their booster jabs every day.
This would mean that more than a million people could see their fully vaccinated status marked as yellow on the MySejahtera app turn to white.
On February 10, The Vibes reported that Khairy’s warning to Sinovac recipients and senior citizens has triggered questions about the legality of compelling them to get booster shots.
The point of contention surrounding the seemingly arbitrary regulation concerns the absence of a constitutional provision mandating any form of vaccines and claims that the revocation of fully vaccinated privileges is equal to the deprivation of one’s fundamental rights. – The Vibes, February 21, 2022
