Stakeholders want more to be done to speed up rate of vaccinations

PETALING JAYA: Widening the range of Covid-19 vaccines for use in Malaysia is essential to curb the rapid spread of infections.

In addition, state governments and private hospitals should be allowed to independently procure the vaccines as soon as possible.

The government should also begin an around-the-clock vaccination exercise.

According medical experts and stakeholders, these measures are essential to stop the runaway increase in infections.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr
M. Subramaniam pointed out that by looking to more producers, not only will the supply of vaccines increase but the government may even be able to negotiate for better terms.

Malaysia now uses the Sinovac, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, but supplies have been slow in coming into the country.

Subramaniam told theSun that apart from efficacy and safety, fast delivery should also be one of the main criteria in the selection of suppliers. “Additionally, each order should be of a higher quantity and the supplier must be able to deliver in the shortest time,” he said.

He pointed out that the inflow of vaccines has not been able to keep up with the speed of vaccination.

Figures obtained from Our World in Data by the Oxford Martin School show that just 2.49 million doses of vaccines have been administered as of last weekend.

Just under a million people have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 2.9% of the total population.

In comparison, many other countries are already close to achieving their target to ensure herd immunity. For instance, at least 25% of the population has already been fully vaccinated in neighbouring Singapore.

However, Subramaniam believes that the pace will pick up as the delivery system moves into top gear.

He noted that the opt-in option for the AstraZeneca vaccine has been well received and should be continued.

He said longer operating hours at vaccination centres should also be considered to help quicken the pace.

Subramaniam said allowing more general practitioners (GP) to help with the vaccination process will also be advantageous. Unfortunately, he said of the 2,500 GP who have registered with ProtectHealth Corporation to become vaccinators under the National Immunisation Programme, only 37 have been given the go-ahead.

He said if all the GP who have registered came on board, collectively, they could administer an additional 75,000 doses a day.

In addition, 12 private hospitals have also been given the go-ahead to act as vaccination centres from today.

Subramaniam said the federal government should also welcome efforts by states to increase vaccination uptake.

“The Selangor government recently announced that it will be providing a way for employers to purchase vaccines for their staff. A similar programme should be extended to other states,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (Nacscom), Association for Residential Aged Care Operators of Malaysia (Agecope) and Third Age Media Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor (Tama) issued a joint statement expressing their concern with the slow rate of vaccination.

In the statement, Nacscom deputy president Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh, Agecope president Delren Terrence Douglas and Tama president Cheah Tuck Wing urged the federal government to allow partners such as states, private hospitals and clinics and pharmacies to import the vaccines.

“Otherwise, it will take years for us to hit the 70% target to achieve herd immunity,” they said.

They pointed out that if manpower is an issue, GPs and nurses, who are already trained, can be brought in to help.

“Of course, the vaccines must be those approved by the government and the vaccination done by qualified personnel,” they noted.

They also want the government to give priority to residents of care and nursing homes in view of their advanced age and living conditions.