Why vaccination is important

This article was first published in theSun Buzz HERE

Covid-19 brings the possibility of serious, life-threatening complications for anyone who’s infected. Thus, getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is still a safer way to build protection for yourself and everyone around you without falling ill first.

Covid-19 vaccines are only approved and authorised for use after it is showed that they are safe and effective in clinical trials. The known and potential benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the risk of getting infected.

While we know getting vaccinated is important, it’s unfortunate that not everyone is eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Infants, young children, some of the elderly and those with serious underlying health conditions are discouraged from taking the vaccine.

To protect these vulnerable groups, the responsibility lies on those who can take the vaccine to get vaccinated as fast as possible.

It goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a lot of lives over the globe. Families everywhere have lost the people they love dearly or are separated from each other for months due to the lockdowns.

The only way to regain some sense of normalcy, reunite families and prevent more loss of lives is to make sure everyone gets vaccinated.

When more people in the society are vaccinated, the higher the chances are to achieve herd immunity to protect everyone and keep the Covid-19 virus at bay for good.

In Malaysia, more than a million Malaysians have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine without suffering from ill side effects. According to the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), this is evidence that it’s safe to be vaccinated and will help Malaysia to be on track to achieve its target of herd immunity sooner.

“If everyone cooperates, we will be able to meet the nation’s target of having at least 80% of the people vaccinated to achieve herd immunity by February next year,” said MMA president Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam.

However, people in rural areas may not be aware of the importance of vaccination. To manage this, Subramaniam said health and social workers should travel to these rural areas to educate the communities there so that they are also protected from the Covid-19 disease.

Village chiefs and MPs should also be roped in to help dispel doubts and apprehension about the vaccines and their side effects, and encourage communities to sign up for vaccination.

Malaysia is doing its best to meet its target of achieving herd immunity by February next year with the ramping up of vaccinations throughout the country.

Here’s to hoping more of us can get vaccinated soon. In these urgent times, medical experts agree that the best vaccine is the one that is first available to you.