PUTRAJAYA – Frontliners who are the early recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine shots have urged the public not to be afraid as it was just like other regular vaccine shots to protect oneself from various illnesses.
Clement Marai Francis, 36, a driver at the Putrajaya Health Office said he was lucky to be inoculated considering his job to transport COVID-19 patients was incredibly risky.
“I don’t feel anything when receiving the vaccine shot and the people should not be afraid. I take the vaccine because I want to protect my family.
“Now I don’t have to worry to interact with them after returning from work,” he told reporters at the Putrajaya Health Office here.
Clement was among the early recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shots after Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, as the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme officially started today.
For Khairul Asraf, an assistant medical officer at the Putrajaya Health Office, he was thankful to be among the early recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine and hoped all frontliners would take the vaccine as well.
“We have given our best efforts and we need to trust in Allah,” said Khairul Asraf who has been involved in the prevention and management of COVID-19 since March last year.
Meanwhile, Putrajaya Health Office’s matron, Lina Ibrahim, 49, who administered the vaccine to the Prime Minister was thankful and relieved for being able to fulfil the responsibility entrusted upon her.
“I was quite nervous then because it was the Prime Minister. Alhamdulillah, everything went well,” she said.
The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme themed “Protect Oneself, Protect Everyone” will be implemented in three phases, with the first phase from February to April 2021 for 500,000 frontliners.
Phase two from April to August is for senior citizens aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and persons with disabilities involving 9.4 million people, while phase three is from May 2021 to February 2022, for those aged 18 and above, covering more than 13.7 million people.
Media practitioners should be included
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah meanwhile has proposed that media practitioners in the state be included in the first phase of the COVID-19 immunisation programme.
He said this is because the group is considered as frontliners who are at risk of being infected while working.
“Therefore, I am recommending that media practitioners be among the first to receive their vaccine shots, as these people go everywhere and are likely to be infected,” he told reporters after a state exco meeting at the Kota Darul Naim Complex here today.
The shipment of COVID-19 vaccine for the first phase is expected to arrive in Kelantan tomorrow afternoon in a special vehicle.
Kelantan police chief, Datuk Shafien Mamat said, two officers and 10 members from the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters left for Kuala Lumpur today for the purpose.
A convoy of four vehicles will provide security and accompany the special vehicle carrying the vaccines from Kuala Lumpur to Kelantan tomorrow.
