SINGAPORE: Some Malaysian cargo drivers and accompanying personnel started getting COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore yesterday.

“I and one of my colleagues were among 20 over cargo drivers who arrived at the Sungei Kadut vaccination facility this morning for our first dose vaccination,” said Mohd Osman Yazed, when contacted by Bernama.

Mohd Osman, 33, said he had received a call and a Short Message Service (SMS) text last week from the Singapore authority concerned to set up today’s appointment for his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Immediately, the trucker said he informed his employer and an arrangement was made for him and his colleague to enter the city-state on the appointment date.

“I arrived here at the facility around 10 am from the Woodlands land checkpoint. The process went smoothly. Right after taking the jab, I was asked to rest for about 30 minutes for observation.

“I feel a bit "lenguh" (numb) at the jab area. That is all. The rest I am fine,” he said, adding that the second dose appointment is on April 10.

From Baling, Kedah, Mohd Osman said he was informed that there is another facility set up at Joo Koon here for cargo drivers entering Singapore from the Tuas land checkpoint.

Meanwhile, his colleague Mohammad Huzaimi Zainal Abidin, 23, said that he is willing to get the jab as he has to enter the republic almost twice daily to send goods.

“It is for my own good health,” said Mohammad Huzaimi, a 40-footer container driver from Kota Tinggi, Johor.

Asked how many cargo drivers were at the facility this morning, Mohammad Huzaimi said he could not tell exactly but truckers were seen coming into the facility when he was about to leave the area.

In a “Lori Precast” WhatsApp Group, some of the truckers were seen sharing the SMS notification which they received from the authority saying that they have been selected for the vaccination programme.

Some have their appointments set for next week.

The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) had on March 8 said that the COVID-19 vaccination will be offered later this month to selected cargo drivers and accompanying personnel who enter Singapore from Malaysia on a regular basis.

It is aimed at minimising transmission risks from workers who engage in the supply of essential goods to Singapore, said the ministry.

On March 18, the republic’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), meanwhile, said that Malaysian cargo drivers and accompanying personnel who have taken both doses of the vaccine will receive an immunisation certificate.

The ministry said that they will be exempted from daily on-arrival tests (OAT) 14 days after the second dose.

According to Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba there are between 3,000 and 4,000 delivery personnel entering Singapore daily.

-- BERNAMA