KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — The government should ensure that members of the public are properly educated on safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, said an MCA Youth leader.
The party’s Youth Civil Society Movement’s Coordination Bureau chairman Heng Zhi Li said there have been instances of reports of the vaccine’s side effects being amplified, which he said erodes the public’s confidence.
“According to survey statistics, about 30 per cent of those interviewed are unsure or unwilling to receive the vaccination.
“The government should face up to such data, find strategies and use channels to clearly disseminate the government’s overall plans, deadline and target, so that the rakyat are psychologically prepared,” he said in a statement.
Heng also suggested the government open up voluntary vaccination applications to reduce long queues and shorten anxious waiting periods.
“Certain countries have begun the vaccination process. As research and development along with the technology of vaccines differ vastly from country to country, the government could refer to other countries on their vaccination procedures.
“Similarly, the government could also arrange vaccination lists and procedures, prioritise medical, frontline staff and high-risk groups according to factors such as region, population density and high-risk community cases,” he said.
Heng said that the current situation in the United Kingdom should also be assessed by Putrajaya as a reference to avoid mixing vaccines which can cause vaccine failure or increase the risk of disease.
“At present, the best way to resolve the Covid-19 contagion is for mass-scale vaccination, as movement control orders are not necessarily the best strategy besides being a burden to the national economy,” he said.
Last month Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced the government has subscribed to several companies to obtain 49.5 million doses of vaccines, capable of inoculating 82 per cent of Malaysians.
