THE Government should be inoculating MPs and state assemblypersons first as soon as the COVID-19 vaccines arrive, as they are the people’s representatives.
“Lawmakers should lead by example among their constituents. This is a must in order to ensure the effectiveness of our National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
“It was heartening that the minister in charge of the programme, Khairy Jamaluddin has announced that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be the first Malaysian to get himself inoculated with the vaccine,” Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang told FocusM.
Last week, Khairy announced that foreigners, documented and undocumented, living in Malaysia would receive COVID-19 vaccination for free, just like locals.
He said the Cabinet approved the decision, taking into consideration that the nation needs to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible, which was well received by many quarters including MPS.
On that note, Amrahi stated as the Government would surely have an official launch of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme as soon as the Pfizer and BionTech vaccines arrive.
Therefore, on the same day, he suggested that lawmakers should get themselves inoculated at their respective constituencies to set a good example to their voters.
Get communities involved too
Amrahi added the move would boost confidence among the localities on the efficacy of the vaccines.
“It will be a momentous day as we have never embarked on such a programme before. During the Spanish Flu pandemic about 100 years ago, there were no vaccines.
“As a result, one third of the global population were infected and took the lives of many,” Amrahi stated.
He also said the COVID-19 pandemic is historic in a sense where many pharmaceutical companies have developed a variety of vaccines to curb the disease.
“This is also a triumph of our science and technological advancement in developing multiple types of vaccines to combat SARS-CoV-2,” Amrahi opined.
With that, the veteran pharmacist urged leaders to reach out to their respective communities and seek the latter’s help to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible.
“Without their active participation, our national vaccination programme may be hurdled with problems,” Amrahi remarked. – Feb 13, 2021
