Govt To Formulate Strategy To Tackle Covid 19 Fence Sitters

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Frontliners waiting for their Covid-19 jab at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Silver Jubilee Hall in Kuantan today. -NSTP/FARIZUL HAFIZ AWANGKUALA LUMPUR: The government is formulating a strategy to tackle those who are on the fence as well as those who are not keen on being inoculated against Covid-19 to eventually convince them to get vaccinated.
Health deputy director-general (public health) Datuk Dr Chong Chee Keong said under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), it is projected that some 23.6 million Malaysians, or 70 per cent of the country's population, are expected to be vaccinated by February next year.
However, he noted that results of a study conducted by the ministry from Dec 2 to 28 last year showed that only 67 per cent of participants had agreed to be vaccinated.
"A total of 17 per cent of participants were not sure, while the remaining 16 per cent did not agree with the Covid-19 vaccine," he said.
The survey involved 212,006 participants.
"As a strategy, we need to vaccinate as fast as possible to get this 67 per cent vaccinated, and then tackle those 17 per cent of fence-sitters.
"We also want those who do not agree to be vaccinated. Therefore, over time (leading up to the end of the year) we have to start making strategies on how to convince them to come forward and get vaccinated," he said during a virtual engagement session with the media this evening.
Dr Chong said the NIP, which would be the largest vaccination exercise in the nation's history, will be carried out in three phases.
He said the first phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), which kicked off on Wednesday, will focus on frontliners involving 500,000 recipients.
"Phase 2 and Phase 3 will involve 9.4 million recipients mainly from the high-risk group and 13.7 million adults, respectively," he said during the Health Ministry's Covid-19 engagement session with the media today.
He said once the country has enough vaccines, Phase 4, also known as "outbreak management", will begin. - NST

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