Some still have doubts over Covid-19 vaccines, say grassroots leaders
MIRI: A small number of people still have doubts about the Covid-19 vaccines due to fear and misinformation, resulting in them refusing to register for the vaccination programme.
The first phase of the programme for Sarawak kicked off end of last month, whilst for Miri, it would commence this March 6 – with the frontliners to be the first to take the jabs.
Kapitan Chong Ah Muk acknowledged that about 30 per cent of individuals, mostly the senior citizens, had fear of the vaccine, claiming that it could cause health issues.
“My service area covers Tudan and Lutong, and the population here includes people from various racial and religious backgrounds.
“The 30 per cent of the population refusing the programme are not from any specific race or religion, but most of those who refused had told me that they ‘heard’ about the side effects and thus, they feared that these (side effects) could happen to them.
“A part of our work here as grassroots leaders is to reach out to the people, especially those without the privilege of having a smartphone, and assist them in registering for the vaccination programme.
“In the process, we have to tell them in length the accurate information that they have to know and that includes the health condition of the (vaccine) recipients and the possible side effects that they may experience.
“As this is a voluntary thing, we cannot force them – we just have to do our best in persuading them by explaining the benefits of the vaccination programme not only for them, but also for their loved ones,” Chong told The Borneo Post in a phone interview yesterday.
On the contrary, he observed that the young ones had been more supportive to the programme.
“Among the questions frequently asked by the young people is how to register via the MySejahtera app,” he added.
Meanwhile, Penghulu Samad Alip said between 80 and 85 per cent of residents of the five villages under his jurisdiction had shown support for the vaccination programme.
The villages are Kampung Lereng Bukit, Kampung Haji Waheed, Kampung Wireless, Kampung Pulau Melayu and Kampung Luak.
“I was positively overwhelmed when some residents wanted to include the names of their distant relatives in the (registration) forms. They told me that they wanted to protect not only their close family members, but also their relatives as well as friends,” he said.
Fear of death, said Samad, was the No 1 reason stated by those who refused to take part in the vaccination programme.
“It is my responsibility to assist them in registering for the programme. Therefore, I also remind them that without the vaccine, they would still be exposed to the dangers of Covid19, which I think would be even worse than the side effects of the vaccine,” said Samad.
He added that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Chief Minister of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg were among the first people receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, aimed at giving the people the confidence to follow suit.
“They (the leaders) are showing the people that the vaccines are safe for humans, which is exactly what we need at this moment,” said Samad.
For Kapitan Betty Pong, the challenging part of assisting people in the registration was explaining to them and answering the questions posed by them about the vaccine.
“Amongst the frequentlyasked questions is on the brands of vaccines. They want the freedom to choose, but this is impossible due to logistical issues.
“Some have even argued that the vaccine manufactured in a certain country is of a much better quality than the other.
“I am not in a position to state which vaccine is better – I only focus on assisting people,” said Pong.
Most of those who refused had told me that they ‘heard’ about the side effects and thus, they feared that these (side effects) could happen to them.
Kapitan Chong Ah Muk