Enhance people's confidence to receive vaccine - Health Specialist

KUALA LUMPUR: The government should expand activities to increase the people's confidence in the National COVID-19 Immunisation Plan.

Public Health Policy Specialist, Dr Khor Swee Kheng, said it includes answering any issues involving fear, perception and misunderstanding of the people on the issue.

He said the doubts include allegations of 300 individuals who died after being vaccinated.

However, he said, the figure does not mean it is incorrect but they do not have any official reference.

"We look at Malaysia, what is the normal death rate in the country? About 490 people die in Malaysia every day due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, old age and so on.

"When we give vaccines to 200 million people worldwide, especially those among the elderly, then the possibility to die is the same, vaccine or otherwise," he said during a video conference on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Dr Khor said, the people need to look at the main purpose of vaccination that wants to protect and prevent COVID-19.

He said the vaccine will teach the immune system to identify viruses and respond.

He explained that the vaccine is also safe in the short term because no deaths were reported in the United States (US) after more than 10 million people were injected.