THE adult vaccination rate against Covid-19 in the Klang Valley might have exceeded 100% but activists and politicians warned the figure did not include the homeless population. 

They told The Malaysian Insight the homeless could have slipped through the cracks while the rest of the population got their jabs.

They said that a special task force must be formed to identify the group for immediate inoculation.

The government’s decision to close many vaccination centres meant the homeless community did not know where to go to get their jabs, they said.

Nurul Fitrah Merican, a coordinator at Dapur Jalanan KL, said those living on the streets were game for the shots but they needed to be told where to go.

“We were helping them register for vaccination in March. At the time, they were a little worried (about the vaccine) but everyone had to be vaccinated so they agreed to it,” she said.

However not all of them could get their doses as some of them had lost their identity cards while others felt that the vaccination centres were too far, Fitrah said.

“In general, most of them do want to get the vaccine; many of those who come to us are the urban poor and the elderly. They got vaccinated early on when the immunisation programme started.

“If only the government had allowed walk-ins from the start, it would have been great.”

She said that many of the homeless community did not have an identity card and to make matters worse, some of the vaccination centres did not know how to deal with this in the early days.

“Coupled with the government’s decision to change vaccination procedures and the closing of the vaccination centres, it got very confusing.”

Fitrah had arranged for the homeless and urban poor communities to get vaccinated at Rumah Prihatin at Grand Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur but the centre closed before they could get the second dose of the vaccine.

Those who have received one dose are now confused as they are not aware that they must now get their second dose at a different location.

“Some didn’t get their second dose on time. But so far, most of them have been fully vaccinated.”

In the early stages of the vaccination campaign, the Bukit Jalil vaccination centre was the only venue that would administer the shots to those without identification documents. The workers were aware that many did not have phones and this was handled accordingly, she added.

Fitrah said those who got their first dose at the Kuala Lumpur Convention and Exhibition Center (KLCC) would now have to go to Bukit Jalil for the second dose.

She has taken to guide those who ask for help to go to Bukit Jalil as most of the vaccination centres in the city closed on September 16.

Welfare department’s job

Klang councillor Lee Fu Haw said arranging for the homeless to get vaccinated was the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s job under its welfare department and not the local government’s

“The homeless community may be in a far worse situation than undocumented migrant workers.”

Teratai assemblyman Bryan Lai said a special arrangement must be made to vaccinate the homeless as they often don’t stay in the same place and they may have medical issues that make them ineligible for the vaccine.

He too agreed that the welfare department should be in charge of ensuring this vulnerable group gets vaccinated.

“The welfare department and the Health Ministry should work together on this,” he said, adding that it was no different from health officials making house calls to vaccinate the elderly or disabled.

Lai said there was no specific area where the homeless community gathered in his constituency, making it hard to help them.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said that if the homeless individual is a Malaysian citizen, he should be included in the government’s data.

“The welfare department, UNHCR and NGOs should work hand in hand to help this group get vaccinated,” he said.

A special task force to identify the homeless communities and help them get their document for vaccination purposes should be set up, he added.

As of September 19, 106.5% of the adult population in the Klang Valley, which is made up of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya – have been fully inoculated.

The percentage exceeded 100% due to population statistics from the statistics department not accounting for change in population size since the last census and undocumented residents.

Nationwide, 78.8% or 18.45 million of the adult population have been fully vaccinated.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government expects 80% of the adult population to be vaccinated by the end October, by which time Covid-19 would be endemic. – September 25, 2021.