KUALA LUMPUR – National cycling ace Mohd Azizulhasni Awang has used social media to share with Malaysians the benefits of taking the COVID-19 vaccine jabs.
Azizulhasni, through a video uploaded on Facebook and Instagram, said the vaccines provided almost 95 per cent protection from the virus.
The cyclist, who is Malaysia’s gold medal hope at the July 23-Aug 8 Tokyo Olympics, also provided an analogy to explain more easily how vaccines could protect society.
“Imagine if we are in the middle of a downpour. If we use an umbrella, then we won’t be drenched but if we do not have an umbrella or shelter, we will surely be drenched. Right?,” he said in the two-minute and 55-second video titled ‘Kenapa Perlu Ambil Vaksin’ (Why you need to take the vaccine).
The cyclist, who hails from Dungun, Terengganu, then goes on to explain that the vaccine would help reduce severe symptoms among individuals who have been vaccinated and also prevent the virus from spreading to loved ones, like their parents, grandparents as well as relatives.
He said clinical tests had also shown that the side effects after vaccination were very minimal, such as fever, pain at the inoculation site and dizziness, although the pain was only temporary.
Azizulhasni, who is also called ‘The Pocket Rocketman’, said what was important was that vaccination would protect everyone from the virus.
“If you think this video is beneficial, please share it with your friends. Thank you. Lindungi diri, lindungi semua (Protect Yourself, Protect All),” he urged.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said that a total of 987,012 individuals had completed two doses of the vaccine under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme as of May 27 while 1,725,364 individuals had received the first dose, bringing the total number of recipients in the country to 2,712,376.
The country, meanwhile, reported its highest daily record of 8,290 cases yesterday, taking the total infections to 549,514.
Mass bookings without consent
The COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF)in a related development has discovered mass third-party bookings for the AstraZeneca vaccine slots without obtaining the consent of the respective individuals, during the recent opt-in.
In a statement today, CITF said this was revealed through the initial investigation that was conducted following complaints from some individuals that they had received appointment dates for the AstraZeneca vaccine even though they did not make any bookings.
“Among the complaints received is their previous appointment dates for other types of vaccine have been replaced with appointments for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Our checks and initial investigation also found that the AstraZeneca vaccine slots have been booked in bulk on behalf of other people without getting their consent,” it said, adding that the reservations were made through the same IP addresses.
According to CITF, it had contacted the Selangor government’s SELangkah, which was among those who made the mass bookings.
It said the SELangkah team had admitted to making reservations for individuals in the ImuniSEL database without checking whether they will agree to receive the vaccine and to replace their original appointments with AstraZeneca, if any.
“SELangkah has given its assurance to cooperate with CITF to resolve the issue and ensure that the affected individuals will revert to their original appointments,” the statement said.
CITF said any it would cooperate with relevant parties to ensure that more people would receive their vaccinations and in turn, achieve herd immunity.
Last Wednesday, one million slots for the AstraZeneca vaccine opt-in for Malaysians aged 60 and below in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sarawak and Penang were fully booked within 90 minutes.
On May 23, the application for the AstraZeneca vaccine was opened for senior citizens aged 60 and above.
