LABUAN – Ten media representatives and several healthcare personnel were among the first group to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under the National Immunisation Programme in Labuan today.
Others joining the queue were Labuan Corporation Advisory Council chairman Senator Datuk Bashir Alias, Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli, Labuan Natural Disaster Management Committee chairman Rithuan Ismail, Labuan police chief DSP Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Ghani and Labuan National Security Council director Mohd Hafiez Daud.
Members of the media were from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and the Information Department, all based in Labuan.
Today’s immunisation programme commenced at the Membedai Health Clinic, with Labuan health director Dr Ismuni Bohari getting the first jab, followed by other local leaders, 15 healthcare personnel and other government heads.
Bashir, when launching the immunisation programme, said that the first phase would run until April, and be followed by the second phase until August (for senior citizens aged 60 and above and vulnerable groups with morbidity problems as well as persons with disabilities (PwD), with the third phase to commence from May this year until February next year.
“The immunisation exercise would cover the approximately 103,000 total population in Labuan, and is scheduled to run until February next year,” he said.
The first batch of 4,680 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for Labuan arrived safely at the Labuan Ro-Ro Ferry Terminal on Friday, and the first phase would involve 2,340 healthcare and non-healthcare frontliners, local leaders and Labuan-based media representatives.
Labuan Hospital staff, doctors and nurses will receive the vaccine beginning tomorrow at the hospital premises, with its director Dr Adnan Musa Balidran to receive the first shot.
Civil defence personnel next in line
The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) meanwhile is identifying Civil Defence Force officers and personnel who will be given vaccine shots in the first phase of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.
Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said selected individuals include those who deal frequently with the public directly, and risk being exposed to the virus.
“Currently the list has not been finalised but I am certain it will be done by next week at the latest.
“For the first phase, some will be prioritised while the rest will be administered in stages according to the determined schedule,” he told Bernama after attending Info On Wheels (IOW): Announcement about the Vaccination Programme and Emergency Proclamation programme at the Alor Gajah night market here today.
He had earlier distributed brochures relating to the importance of vaccination to visitors and traders there. The IOW programme, he added, was important in providing accurate information relating to the importance of vaccination to Malaysians to ensure that the vaccination programme runs smoothly.
Mohd Redzuan said that Malaysians would be encouraged to take the COVID-19 vaccination shots and to register themselves via the MySejahtera app.
Sinovac vaccine effective
Cheras Columbia Asia Hospital medical officer Dr Malar Santhi Santherasegapan in a related development has said that the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China that arrived in Malaysia today is as effective in preventing the COVID-19 infection as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
She said clinical trials conducted in Brazil and Turkey indicated that the Sinovac vaccine efficacy level is at 50.4 per cent and 91.2 per cent respectively.
“People assumed that 50.4 per cent of volunteers in Brazil who took the vaccine are healthy while another 49.6 per cent experienced harmful side effects.
However, that 50.4 per cent of people have successfully built immunity against COVID-19 and all of them are not infected or need intensive treatment and no one dies, ” she said while appearing as a guest in a special programme streamed on Bernama TV Facebook in conjunction with the arrival of the Sinovac vaccine today.
Meanwhile, she stressed that there was no data to support the claim that Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are at risk of experiencing side effects from any type of COVID-19 vaccines and urged them to get vaccinated against the deadly virus.
In the same programme, University of Malaysia Faculty of Economics and Administration senior lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines would revive the country’s economy as many more people can now return to work.
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