MOH to activate COVID-19 vaccination mobile units - Dr Noor Hisham

KUALA LUMPUR: COVID-19 vaccination mobile units will be activated to vaccinate senior citizens and vulnerable groups who are too frail to go to a vaccination centre.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the group would have to register earlier before the Ministry of Health (MOH) could mobilise the unit for the purpose.

He said the District Health Centres (PKD) would be evaluating the groups to enable efforts to vaccinate them as scheduled under Phase Two of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.

“Now we have mobile units which is part of the MOH vaccination programmne.

“For example, we do not expect Orang Asli to come to us, we will instead reach out to them (for vaccination),” he said at the 3/201 Series of COVID-19 State of Emergency media engagement session held virtually here today.

The third session was also participated by Health deputy director-general (Research and Technical Support) Datuk Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim, MOH Institute for Cliinical Research (ICR) director Dr Kalaiarasu Peariasamy and MOH Disease Control Division sector head Dr Mohd Hanif Zailani.

Dr Noor Hisham said this is one of the initiatives to ensure such groups are not left behind under Phase Two of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme to achieve herd immunity with the target of at least 80 per cent of the Malaysians are vaccinated.

This would meet the National Immunisation Plan of the Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) which is Protect Self Protect All in which vaccination in Malaysia is aimed at benefiting all citizens.

Meanwhile, Dr Kalaiarasu said those who would be vaccinated would undergo clinical examination earlier as treatment preparation and to minimise risk to the individual.

He also gave assurance that each vaccine batch used would be monitored according to World Health Organisation and through the approval of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division while monitoring for side effects following immunisation would conducted by MOH.

The COVID-19 vaccination is voluntary and free to all residents aged 18 and above covering citizens and foreigners to achieve at least 80 per cent vaccination among adults in Malaysia by February 2022.

The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme which is implemented in the phases by targeting 500,000 frontline workers to receive the vaccine in the first phase from February to April, the second phase from April to August is for high risk groups and the third phase for adults aged 18 and above will be from May to February next year.

Dr Mohd Hanif also said for the first phase starting Feb 26, about 5,000 personnel and volunteers from various agencies have been trained for the task.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said media personnel would be considered as frontline workers in combating COVID-19 ,and would also be considered to receive the vaccine in the first phase if necessary.

“The first is healthcare, we will look at the essential services including the media to be included in the first phase, maybe towards the end of it,” he said.

-- BERNAMA