For some, AstraZeneca a ticket out of Covid-19, back to normal
For 25-year-old fresh graduate Ariani, getting the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine today meant one step towards going back to a normal working life.
Leaving university just as the first movement control order (MCO) hit last year, she spent almost half a year job-hunting before landing her current research assistant position.
“It was so hard to find a job. I was unemployed for five months before I found a permanent job. I was quite affected.
“(Since then) I have had experience working from home and working on-station. For me, I want to go back to normalcy and working on-station.
“I rather go to the office than work from home because it is different,” she told Malaysiakini when met after getting her first jab at the World Trade Centre vaccine dispensing centre (PPV) in Kuala Lumpur today.
For Kong Wooi Hon, before the ...
For 25-year-old fresh graduate Ariani, getting the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine today meant one step towards going back to a normal working life.
Leaving university just as the first movement control order (MCO) hit last year, she spent almost half a year job-hunting before landing her current research assistant position.
“It was so hard to find a job. I was unemployed for five months before I found a permanent job. I was quite affected.
“(Since then) I have had experience working from home and working on-station. For me, I want to go back to normalcy and working on-station.
“I rather go to the office than work from home because it is different,” she told Malaysiakini when met after getting her first jab at the World Trade Centre vaccine dispensing centre (PPV) in Kuala Lumpur today.
For Kong Wooi Hon, before the government decided to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine on a voluntary basis, he had been worried about when his appointment under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick) would come.
He was concerned about spreading the virus as he, a civil engineer, spent a lot of time at construction sites - a hotspot for infection clusters.
“I was very worried about spreading Covid-19 to the people around me, my colleagues and my family.
“So to protect me and my family, I wanted to get vaccinated faster,” he said when asked why he signed up for the jab.
READ MORE: What you should know when signing up for the AstraZeneca shot
Both Kong and Ariani were aware of the very low thrombosis (blood clot) risk posed by the AstraZeneca vaccine but said the benefits of taking the jab far outweighed the risks of contracting Covid-19.
Fifty-four-year-old homemaker Ummi concurred.
“Many other things like smoking and taking contraceptives pose a higher risk (of blood clots).
“This (taking the vaccine) is something I must do because I want us to be free of Covid-19,” she said.
Astrazeneca vaccination process
Today was the first day of the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout and 4,392 people were registered to receive their first of two injections.
The World Trade Centre PPV saw a bulk of the appointments (2,468) while the Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia PPVs had 996 and 928 appointments respectively.
This was the process as observed by Malaysiakini at the World Trade Centre PPV today:
Once you arrive at the ground floor, you will need to scan your MySejahtera app's QR code at the entrance and wait in the queue until your appointed time.
Once your appointment's time slot is called, you will be able to enter the first waiting area and take a seat. This is next to the Ariani and Jakel clothing boutiques.
Next, you will need to scan another MySejahtera QR code and pass through temperature screening before entering the second waiting area. Here, you will be given a Covid-19 vaccination consent form (below).
The form will ask if you have experienced severe side effects after obtaining previous vaccinations, ever had a history of severe allergies, are pregnant or planning to conceive or if you are currently breastfeeding. It will also seek your signed consent to receive the vaccine and have been informed about the possible side effects and risks.
You will then be called into the Dewan Tun Hussein Onn to register yourself based on your MySejahtera vaccination appointment time confirmation and either your MyKad or passport number.
Next, a doctor or pharmacist will consult you on whether you are suited for the AstraZeneca vaccine based on your Covid-19 vaccination consent form and medical history.
If you are deemed suitable, you will be led to a waiting area before you are called for your vaccination jab. Vaccination counters are segregated based on gender.
After your injection, you will enter the final station - observation. Present your MyKad or passport once again for your details to be written on a purple vaccination card. You will then be required to sit down for 15 minutes for observation.
After 15 minutes, you will be able to collect your purple vaccination card, have your photograph taken at the photo booth and exit the vaccination centre. Now to wait 12 weeks for your second AstraZeneca dose!
The Ideal Convention Centre PPV in Shah Alam will begin administering AstraZeneca vaccines on May 24.
A total of 268,800 people from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have registered for the vaccine with 64,852 more on the waiting list.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has said that AstraZeneca will be offered to those in “red zone” states next.
Another 1.1 million doses of the vaccine are scheduled to arrive in Malaysia this month.
The recently much praised KJ for his role in the provision of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to opt-in volunteers, now says that there maybe insufficient vaccine for commencement of Phase 3 of the vaccination programme. The AZ vaccine was initially meant for those in Phase 2 who are aged 60 years and above. This is rightly so, as the reports of blood clots after vaccination was lowest in those above 60 years of age. But for reasons which have been mentioned widely in the media, a U-turn was made; thus depriving those aged 60 years and above (the target group) from getting the AZ vaccine on time, especially those not in Selangor and the KL area. The majority who turned out for the first day of this opt-in programme was of the younger age group. Instead it appears that the AZ vaccine has been taken up mainly by the younger ones, even in Selangor and KL. This redeployment of the AZ vaccine to this less vulnerable groups will obviously result in shortage of vaccines for those in Phase 2, the vulnerable ones, those above age 60 years and those with co-morbidities. Will all the AZ vaccine be used for this opt-in Phase 4 programme? 1.1 million doses will be coming in soon this May and another 610K doses in June and another 410K doses in July. If so, this will screw up the original aims of the vaccination programme, which is to get the more vulnerable vaccinated first! What is it going to take to get this PN gomen to get things right? The vulnerable ones should rightly protest. It must also be noted that the interval between the first and second dose of the AZ vaccine is not 3 weeks but 12 weeks. So between the Pfizer and AZ vaccine, if 2 individuals are given their first doses, the one getting the Pfizer vaccine will complete his/her vaccination 9 weeks earlier. It must also be noted that having completed one's Covid-19 vaccination, immunity is not conferred but one is prevented from serious Covid-19 disease, if infected. And if a vaccinated one is infected, there is no certainty that he/she won't infected another. These are the reality of Covid-19 vaccination, presently. There are many cases reported in the media of those who have completed their vaccination, got infected and succumbed to Covid-19. So upon completing the vaccination process, it is still necessary to observe the 3Cs and the 3Ws. <><>
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