KUCHING: More than half of 31,766 individuals that have been given the vaccination dates under Phase Two of the vaccination programme did not respond to the appointment dates, says Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
He said this was concerning because they were the ones that are the priority for the programme, and in some cases, they could be slow to reply or were unaware of such appointments.
“They are likely elderly and those with comorbidities which are the high-risk groups to develop severe symptoms or even death if they contract Covid-19.
“If they miss it, likely they will miss out and be pushed back to the queue which is risky as they need to be protected as soon as possible,” he said in a Facebook post after assisting the public in registering for the vaccination on Tuesday (April 13).
Dr Yii urged the government to find ways to reach out and to contact those under priority, and must explore different options to look at reaching out to them, including calling next of kin or family members.
“The elderly probably are unfamiliar or do not know how to check for their appointment dates on MySejahtera. While some may have received a phone call from the Health Department but it may be an unknown number and they do not want to pick up.”
He said generally the medical records of such patients, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities were with the hospitals and they could use that to help contact them in different ways if they are not responding.
“Another database that could be used is the PekaB40 database. They could use this database to reach out to them to, first and foremost, get registered, and also to alert them once their appointment is set.
“We do not want to see the vaccine go to waste, and even more for those who really need the vaccine to miss their appointments because they were not aware.”
He also stressed that massive strategic communications and educational materials must continue to address hesitancy and concerns by the public.
“The low registration rate, especially those supposedly prioritised in Phase Two, is worrying, and strategic intervention should be in place to encourage them to register and also inform them properly once their appointment dates are out.”
Dr Yii also encouraged those that had received their appointment dates to respond as soon as possible.
“We need to make sure our elderly and those in the high risk and vulnerable groups are properly protected.”
