KUCHING, March 31: A comprehensive intervention to encourage more people to sign up for Covid-19 vaccination is needed as only two million people registered for the second phase which falls short of the Federal government’s target of nine million.
Highlighting this, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii thus urged for the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) to release specific data especially on the number of people registered for vaccination at the district and sub-district levels.
“This is so that we can determine the intensity of efforts needed to educate or even incentivise registration, especially on target groups as we are approaching the (vaccination) programme’s second phase that will start on April 19.
“I read with concern on low registrations especially among those targeted for Phase Two including those with disabilities (OKU), when they are the ones supposed to be the main priority for protection as they are of higher risk to develop severe symptoms or even face death in the event of contracting Covid-19,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Yii was referring to a statement by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin that only about two million elderly people and those with chronic conditions have registered for Covid-19 vaccination under the programme’s second phase.
“That is only 22 per cent of the government’s target of vaccinating nine million in Phase Two,” he added.
He observed that it appeared to be a multi-faceted problem that involved not only senior citizens’ unfamiliarity with the MySejahtera app but also an apparent reluctance among the elderly to get vaccinated.
“That is why data especially on a district and sub-district level, including their geographical locations, must be released so that a comprehensive intervention can be done by the whole society to further encourage or incentivise more to sign up for vaccination.
“Elected representatives in respective areas, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), civil societies and even the private sector can also help,” he suggested.
Dr Yii pointed out that the government should look into taking more proactive steps to reach out to these vulnerable populations including tapping into existing patients databases both in the public and private sectors and approaching them directly for registration.
“The government cannot just rely on self-registration and must go to people directly, instead of waiting for people to turn up.
“By doing so, they can also build trust by understanding the concerns (of the people) and provide appropriate, transparent and accessible information, including empirical data on vaccine effectiveness in population, on adverse effects of Covid-19 in different population groups, and on the relative health risks from contracting Covid-19 versus receiving the vaccine,” he said.
In addition, he added that the government should also come up with creative policies to incentivise more registrations and promote the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccination in order to allay some of the concerns.
“In Israel, they have put forth a ‘Green Pass’ proposal to incentivise vaccination uptake in the country which allows access to social, cultural, and sports events as well as gyms, hotels and others for individuals with immunity.
“This pass will also give exemption from quarantine after returning from international travels or even close contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case,” he elaborated.
However, Dr Yii noted that such a proposal does have its flaws especially if it is not fully accessible to all segments of the population, which will, in turn, defeat its purpose and likely lead to discrimination and abuse.
“That is why, the government must make sure that all barriers to vaccination be removed for individuals who want to receive the vaccine, including obstacles related to access, logistics and health literacy, as well as provisions of reliable information to help people make an informed choice.
“All these policies must be properly studied taking into local context and feasibility of implementation,” he said. -DayakDaily
