SIBU, June 20: Residents here have been advised to rely on facts and not their emotions when talking about Covid-19 vaccines.
Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee coordinator Dr Annuar Rapaee noted that there were certain people who were trying to convince others not to get vaccinated against the disease.
“There are people saying that since many people have received the vaccine, why is that the town continues to record over 100 cases daily? They said if (the situation is) like this, there is no need to get vaccinated,” he said.
The Nangka assemblyman said according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccines offers strong protection against Covid-19 but people must complete all the recommended doses.
“Maximum protection, according to WHO, is not reached until two to three weeks after the second dose. So do not influence people not to take vaccines. Use facts and not your emotion when talking about vaccines,” he urged.
Dr Annuar instead wanted people to “pujuk” (encourage) their friends who had turned down vaccinations to get vaccinated.
“There are about 3,800 teachers in the division. About half of them have been jabbed but there are some teachers who prefer not to,” he said.
He added that the committee is actively helping to register people aged 60 and above through MySejahtera.
“Our target is to achieve 7,000 doses by July. We have achieved administering 4,776 doses on June 15, over 5,000 doses on June 16, 4,000 doses on June 17 and over 4,000 doses on June 18,” he said.
As at June 18, the number of people in the division who have received at least one dose was 81,926 or 35 per cent of the total population of 232,528.
“On Friday (June 18), we received 25,160 doses and next week (on Tuesday and Thursday) there will be two more deliveries,” he said. — DayakDaily
