THE Malaysian Health Coalition and Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine (MGSM) urged the Health Ministry (MOH) to speed of up the booster shots for senior citizens living in care facilities and nursing homes, given the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
“The district health offices (PKD) and Social Welfare Department (JKM) must work with operators of such facilities to ensure our senior citizens there are given the boosters as soon as possible.
“We must ensure our senior citizens are able to get through the Omicron wave with as little damage as possible,” they said in a joint statement.
In Jan, New Straits Times reported that five states recorded low take up on the booster shots after the Government made it compulsory for those aged 60 and above.
Back then, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the states that were still under the 50% booster coverage mark were Pahang (46%), Terengganu (37%), Perlis (37%), Kelantan (31%) and the region of Sabah (26%).
“We want to push so that 80% of the elderly get their booster shots done within a month or so, and we have identified the states that are lagging behind,” he was reported as saying then.
Seek out senior citizens, not the other way around
On that mote, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) expressed concerns that a large portion of senior citizens in nursing homes and care facilities remain without boosters.
They added that unlike independent senior citizens who are more mobile, those in care facilities are less privileged and less mobile, so the boosters need to go to them instead.
“Therefore, all responsible parties and their volunteers must actively reach out to all aged care facilities and nursing homes and conduct mobile vaccination programmes in these centres regardless of their registration status.
“Vaccines must reach senior citizens, and not senior citizens trying to reach vaccines,” they stressed. – Feb 19, 2022
