THE public should just take up any COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Government instead of being choosy about it.
“Let’s be practical here. We’re talking about a national vaccine rollout. We should just take what is given,” Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) CEO Paul Selvaraj told FocusM.
Earlier today, Consumer Association of Subang & Shah Alam (Cassa) urged the Government to allow the public to choose the type of COVID-19 vaccines they would like to have, instead of the authorities making the decision for them.
“It’s simply ridiculous to state that consumers need not be concerned about the brands of COVID-19 vaccines used under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme as each vaccine has been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
“If that is the case, will NPRA be legally responsible should there be any deaths or dangerous side-effects later on?” its president Datuk Jacob George was reported asking FocusM.
George also called for COVID-19 Immunisation Coordination Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin to inform recipients of any possible side-effects after administering the vaccines, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions and senior citizens.
Touching on the side-effect concerns, Selvaraj concurred that the Government must address the matter, especially with anti-vaxxers spreading much misinformation about it.
“The Government should address concerns over the vaccines’ efficacy using science to counter fake news spread by irresponsible people.
“For that to happen, the authorities must be transparent on the data. From there, let the people decide on the vaccines,” he remarked. – March 7, 2021.
