Low Vaccination Rate Taking A Closer Look But Every Malaysian Should Get Vaccinated


 

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) kick-started with a lot of fanfare. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin received his first vaccine in public on February 24. Three months later, the people expressed their dissatisfaction and lamented that the vaccination rate is too low, alleging that it is mainly due to the government being slow and incompetent. Often, the “better” countries they cited are Singapore, European Union countries, the United States, Israel and so on. I would like to offer an objective perspective on the national vaccination programme.
Often the public judges a policy or a programme by its immediate outcome. In this case, the current number and percentage of people vaccinated or have received at least one dose of vaccine. However, one must first consider the NIP process in its entirety to understand the outcome, including the procurement, registration and delivery of the vaccines, the registration of participants, and finally, the administration of the vaccines.
We should understand that the government has allocated funds to procure 66.7 million doses covering 109.65 percent of residents in the country from 5 sources: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya/RIDF (Sputnik V). Currently, the first three have obtained product registration approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) that is responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of all pharmaceutical products before they can be used in Malaysia. The government has set the target timeline to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the population by February 2022.
Undoubtedly, the current vaccination rate is not as fast as many expect to see, especially during the recent wave of severe infection sweeping across the country. As of May 20, the percentage of vaccinated persons (who received two doses) and those who received at least one dose is 2.6 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. Based on the current vaccination rate, one projection shows that Malaysia would need about five years to vaccinate 80 percent of its population. Is that a fair assessment of the situation?


On April 12, the special committee on ensuring access to Covid-19 vaccine supply (JKJAV) published the timeline of vaccine supply (Figure 1). If we take a look at the vaccine supply (green trend line), compared to current demand by registration counts (yellow horizontal line) and the target vaccination coverage (light blue line), it is clear that we were facing a vaccine shortage at the early stage. The same scenario is happening to many countries globally.




Malaysia is not too far from the average Asian countries and even ahead of Japan and Thailand (see Figure 2). When some vaccine manufacturing countries declare bans or restrictions on vaccine exports, like India and the European Union, these will disrupt the scheduled supply to many countries. Prior to the pandemic, Malaysia did not have vaccine manufacturing ability except for Duopharma’s fill-and-finish facility. Since then Pharmaniaga has set up its fill-and-finish capacity. While the two GLCs are tasked to do this last manufacturing step for Sputnik V and Sinovac vaccines respectively thus lowering costs, they still need to import the bulk inputs from China and Russia. It is pointless to talk about faster vaccination rates when the local manufacturers cannot guarantee to deliver the vaccines as planned. The demand for such precious resources is tremendous, and the production is insufficient. It is not that the government lacks resources to set up vaccination centres to speed up vaccine administration; that would require just two to three days to do so.
Meanwhile, the registration rate for vaccination in Malaysia is still not satisfactory. As of the 20th of May, only 43 percent of eligible 18 years and above of the population have registered. That means that even if the federal government were to receive all of the vaccine orders today, there would be more than half of those doses with no takers.
Apart from the less than satisfactory registration, it is also not difficult to understand why the public harbours the sentiment that the vaccination programme is going too slow. The current percentage of those who received at least one dose of the vaccine among the registered population is 13.3 percent, which means 86.7 percent of people are still in the waiting queue. We can understand that they get frustrated with the current pandemic situation.


The states/federal territories with more than 50 percent of its population registered for the vaccination programme are Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Sarawak, Labuan and Penang (see Figure 3). But if one looks at the percentage of registered participants who received at least one dose of the vaccine - states like Selangor, Johor, Penang and Sarawak fall below the national average. However, these states have received the most compared to other less populated states in terms of the actual number of administered doses.
This might explain why certain states feel like they need to take matters into their own hands to “speed up” the vaccination campaign. On the 16th of May, the Sarawak state government announced that they had procured one million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, expected to arrive soon in two batches.
On May 18, the NIP coordinating minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, clarified the conditions under which the state governments are allowed to procure their vaccine supplies. A day after the minister’s statement, the Selangor state government announced its own Selgate Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. This programme aims to register employers in Selangor to vaccinate their employees with the Sinovac vaccine for RM190 per dose. On the same day, the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng famously criticised the federal government in a press conference for blocking a private donor from contributing two million doses of Sinovac vaccine to the Penang state government.
The conditions clarified by Khairy were clear. Firstly, the products must be registered and approved by the NPRA that checks the vaccines’ efficacy and safety profile according to laws and regulations that are based on stringent standards of the WHO and OECD countries. Secondly, if the procurement source is from the same pharmaceutical company as the NIP, the federal government will be prioritised to receive its supplies before any other parties from Malaysia. This was an agreement with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure that the national vaccination programme is not compromised. Thirdly, if the supplier is not involved in the NIP - the state governments or private sector can freely procure them provided they have received an approval by the NPRA for the vaccines concerned.
Therefore, the apparent win-win situation is when a state government secures alternative vaccine sources outside the NIP vaccine portfolio. However, based on what we saw in the past week - the three state governments are considering the Sinovac vaccine. They are going for the same vaccine pool, therefore directly competing with the federal government! Suppose these states receive the vaccines before the federal government’s remaining order - it will come at the expense of other states that do not have the financial resources or wealthy donors to access the vaccine quickly.
Setting this precedent will open Pandora’s Box. Other state governments may follow suit to demonstrate to their voters that they can also get ahead of the queue. It will result in something that we must avoid: the politicisation of the NIP. Imagine if states go their own way - eventually, this could create a chaotic situation for the NIP and probably undermine the national programme. What is worse, this could erode the social solidarity and the consensus to allow citizens and residents with health vulnerabilities (and thus carry a higher risk of Covid-19) to receive the vaccines first.
One should not only think about vaccine procurement but also consider the logistics and execution of vaccination. Who administers the vaccines? The NIP currently involves private healthcare facilities to help with the public vaccination programme. Would the state governments also compete with the federal government over the human resources required for vaccine administration? If this affects the national programme, at whose expense will it be? The NIP is free of charge at the point of vaccine administration; this is different, for example, from Selangor’s proposed programme. As the latter signals that those employers who can pay can get the vaccine first, what does it say about the social solidarity over vaccination priorities?
At the height of the current pandemic, we should be wary of opportunistic political upmanship that feeds on public frustration (often due to misinformation) and desperation for faster vaccination. Instead, we should call for patience and a better understanding of the process and issues related to the NIP. Most importantly, people should stand in solidarity to fight the pandemic together, not just thinking for oneself first but also for every one of us. - Mkini

DR LIM CHEE HAN is a public health policy researcher, currently senior researcher at Third World Network and co-convener of the People’s Health Forum Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.


Artikel ini hanyalah simpanan cache dari url asal penulis yang berkebarangkalian sudah terlalu lama atau sudah dibuang :

http://malaysiansmustknowthetruth.blogspot.com/2021/05/low-vaccination-rate-taking-closer-look.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MalaysiansMustKnowTheTruth+%28Malaysians+

Kempen Promosi dan Iklan
Kami memerlukan jasa baik anda untuk menyokong kempen pengiklanan dalam website kami. Serba sedikit anda telah membantu kami untuk mengekalkan servis percuma aggregating ini kepada semua.

Anda juga boleh memberikan sumbangan anda kepada kami dengan menghubungi kami di sini
Vaccination Nears 100k Doses Per Day But Many Still Missing Appointments

Vaccination Nears 100k Doses Per Day But Many Still Missing Appointments

papar berkaitan - pada 26/5/2021 - jumlah : 218 hits
The Covid 19 vaccination programme is getting closer to its target of injecting 150 000 doses per day in June However it seems that many who have registered to get vaccinated are still missing their appointments In a social media update tod...
Get Vaccinated The Moment You Get A Chance

Get Vaccinated The Moment You Get A Chance

papar berkaitan - pada 23/5/2021 - jumlah : 298 hits
From Dr Amar Singh HSSThis article offers some personal insights into the Covid 19 situation in the country One concern is that the public in some states behave as though the worsening outbreak is confined to the Klang Valley or only to sel...
Migrants Still Fear Reprisal After Vaccination But Some Ready For The Plunge

Migrants Still Fear Reprisal After Vaccination But Some Ready For The Plunge

papar berkaitan - pada 20/5/2021 - jumlah : 251 hits
Abdullah Abbass 25 wants to get the Covid 19 vaccine once it is available to everyone in Malaysia But one thought is holding the Rohingya refugee back I m not afraid of the vaccine I m afraid I will be deported if I get it because I cannot ...
Close Contacts Possibly Exposed Persons Should Not Head To Vaccination Centres Khairy

Close Contacts Possibly Exposed Persons Should Not Head To Vaccination Centres Khairy

papar berkaitan - pada 16/5/2021 - jumlah : 215 hits
Prospective vaccine recipients with the status of person under investigation person under surveillance or close contacts of Covid 19 patients are not allowed to turn up at vaccination centres National Covid 19 Immunisation Programme coordin...
A Closer Look At The World S First 11 1 4 Channel Soundbar

A Closer Look At The World S First 11 1 4 Channel Soundbar

papar berkaitan - pada 19/5/2021 - jumlah : 219 hits
Over the years Samsung has delivered a broad range of high fidelity audio solutions for a variety of experiences and living space set ups In a time when consumers have access to an endless range of content Samsung s devices televisions and ...
Why Is It Taking So Bloody Long To Get Vaccines Asks Anwar

Why Is It Taking So Bloody Long To Get Vaccines Asks Anwar

papar berkaitan - pada 31/5/2021 - jumlah : 255 hits
Anwar Ibrahim visiting constituents in Port Dickson today He has pointed to Thailand as an example saying it has an easier process where people can register at shopping malls to be vaccinated PETALING JAYA With a record high of 9 020 Covid ...
We Recognise Mega Vaccination Centres Concerns But It S Not The Only Strategy Khairy

We Recognise Mega Vaccination Centres Concerns But It S Not The Only Strategy Khairy

papar berkaitan - pada 31/5/2021 - jumlah : 178 hits
Science Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he recognised concerns about mega vaccination centres but stressed it did not mean the government is relying on such facilities as its sole strategy in the Covid 19 vaccinati...
Federal Court Court Of Appeal Judges To Get Vaccinated Tomorrow

Federal Court Court Of Appeal Judges To Get Vaccinated Tomorrow

papar berkaitan - pada 31/5/2021 - jumlah : 193 hits
Minister in the Prime Minister s Department and Kota Baru MP Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said members of the senior judiciary would be followed by judges from the High Court NSTP SHARIFAH MAHSINAH ABDULLAHKOTA BARU More than 50 Federal Cou...
With Just 18pc Registered For Covid 19 Jab Why Is Sabah S Rate So Low

With Just 18pc Registered For Covid 19 Jab Why Is Sabah S Rate So Low

papar berkaitan - pada 28/5/2021 - jumlah : 177 hits
Senior citizen Yuen Mee Van 81 receiving a Covid 19 jab during the Phase 2 Vaccination programme at the Sandakan Community Hall in Sabah April 19 2021 Bernama picKOTA KINABALU May 28 Sabah the state that ostensibly sparked the third wave of...
Ph Must Safeguard Its Voter Base To Land Second Term For Anwar Says Analyst

Drama Anggun Mikayla

Honor Pad 9 Tablet Terbaik Untuk Berhibur Dan Kerja Mula Dijual Seluruh Negara Pada 28 Mac

Tetaplah Beriadah Di Bulan Ramadan

Arul Rasheed Feat Shana Abella Gemersik Aidilfitri Chord

Hukum Berbuka Puasa Di Bulan Ramadhan Dan Cara Bayar Fidyah

Perumahan Izara Bayu Sutera Kediaman Idaman Tepi Tasik Dengan Ciri Smart Home

Di Ambang Inflasi Bagaimana Dow Jones Dan S P Bertindak Untuk Sesi Ketiga Berturut Turut



Info Dan Sinopsis Filem 19 Puasa Playboys Of Plastik Hitam Astro First

Casimir Zeglen Paderi Yang Mencipta Jaket Kalis Peluru

Biodata Mohammad Rifdean Masdor Atlet Muay Thai Malaysia Yang Gegarkan One Championship Seangkatan Johan Ghazali Jojo

Biodata Abdul Qawiy Aro Qawiyaro Personaliti TikTok Islamik

10 Fakta Biodata Siti Khadijah Halim Pelakon Drama Berepisod Wanita Syurga TV3 Gandingan Redza Rosli


Bersahur Dengan Sup Ayam Simple Tapi Sedap

The Ultimate Home Cycling Adventure Beaches Mountains And Music

Potong Ikan Keluar Api

Kp Umno Tidak Perlu Layan Teguran Dari Sikitol Kluster Pengkhianat

Rights Group Calls For Police Probe Into Inciting Statements On Allah Socks

In Src International Civil Suit Former Director Says Najib Was Chess Grandmaster In Company S Scheme Of Things