By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, April 13: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii urges the government to quickly reach out to those who have qualified for appointments for Covid-19 vaccination under Phase 2 of Pick which is scheduled to start in several states on April 19.
Following a recent statement from National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick) Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin that more than half of the 31,776 individuals who have been notified of the vaccination dates for Phase 2 have not responded, Dr Yii is concerned that those from the high risk groups could miss out.
Thus, he called on the federal government to find ways to reach out to them and to contact those given priority to be vaccinated under Phase 2 of Pick.
“This is concerning because the ones receiving the dates now are the ones that are the priority for the vaccination programme.
“They are likely elderly and those with comorbidities, underlying diseases, disabled persons (OKUs) who are part of the high risk groups that if infected will likely develop more severe symptoms or even face death due to Covid-19.
“These are the groups that are receiving their appointments now and my concern is that if they miss it, they may be pushed back to the queue which is risky as they need to be protected as soon as possible,” he said in a press statement.
Dr Yii believed that the federal government and the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) should release details of those who have received their appointments for Phase 2 vaccinations by district and even sub-districts so that elected representatives can help to monitor and help remove any obstacles for this group so that they do not miss out on their vaccination appointment.
Dr Yii who is also a member of Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) pointed out elected representatives can then properly identify members of the public in specific locations where either registration is low or are slow responders to appointment dates.
After that, he said, a more holistic approach to inform those given the appointment can be implemented to remove any obstacles and ensure that those in the high risk groups do not miss out on their appointments.
Dr Yii also opined that the government can use the Healthcare Protection Scheme for the low income B40 group (PekaB40) database to alert low income earners with comorbidities who are due to be vaccinated.
In the meantime, he said the low registration rate for Covid-19 vaccinations especially those prioritised under Phase 2 is worrying, and strategic intervention should be in place to encourage them to register and also inform them properly once their appointment dates are fixed.
“That is why, when my office does our Mobile Vaccine Registration counter, we make it a point to educate them how to check and be alert for any notifications of their appointment dates.
“I would also like to encourage all those that have received their appointment dates not to hesitate and respond as soon as possible so that they do not risk missing out on their appointment.
“We need to make sure our elderly and those in the “high risk” and vulnerable groups are properly protected,” he added. — DayakDaily
