GETTING Covid-19 might have been a worse experience if not for being fully vaccinated, those who got infected after their inoculation said.

Standard operating procedure (SOP) such as masking up and social distancing must also be continued even after being fully vaccinated as the possibility of getting infected is always there, they added when sharing their experiences with The Malaysian Insight.

Mathan, a 39-year old bank executive who only wants to be known by his first name, is still perplexed as to how he got infected despite being fully vaccinated.

His 72-year-old father was the first in the family to start showing symptoms one Friday evening.

“He had a fever and was feeling lethargic. We waited for a day to see any improvement. Then the whole family decided to go for the RT-PCR test on Sunday.

“All four of us tested positive despite being fully vaccinated. We were then told by health authorities to undergo home quarantine,” said Mathan.

He still cannot figure out through whom, or when, or how the infection spread to his family.

“My dad hardly goes out. I only go out to get takeaway food.

“I understand that we can still get infected even with the vaccine, but I believe the vaccine has helped to lessen our symptoms, or we would have been much worse,” Mathan said.

The family tested negative after 10 days and is clear of infection.

Their new normal is to continue being cautious, refraining from social activities and working from home.

“We are still not ready to dine in at restaurants and for now we have limited our socialising. We are also prepared with home test kits if anyone shows any symptoms,” said Mathan.

Health authorities have repeatedly stressed that while being vaccinated does not offer 100% protection from getting infected, a fully vaccinated person will suffer far less severe Covid-19 than a non-vaccinated person. Vaccinated people will also tend to have a shorter illness and much higher chances of survival.

Health Ministry data have shown that Malaysia’s breakthrough infection rate is 1.30 cases for every 100 people.

A breakthrough infection refers to a person contracting a disease after being inoculated with a vaccine that is meant to prevent that very illness.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told the Dewan Rakyat last Thursday that only 0.01% out of 14 million fully vaccinated people have died of Covid-19.

With such a low percentage of breakthrough cases, this proved that vaccines were effective in preventing virus outbreak, he said.

Tiana, a 30-year-old chef, discovered she had Covid-19 after being exposed to her father who tested positive three days after they last met.

“This was just an unfortunate incident that happened after I took my father out. Sometimes these things are beyond our control,” she said, adding that she and her father had followed all SOP when going out.

“I’m thankful that my family members are fully vaccinated and only suffered mild to moderate symptoms.

“I think it would have turned out really bad if we weren’t fully vaccinated.”

Tiana, who also wants to be identified only by her first name, said using self-test kits is now the norm in her family so that they have peace of mind.

She self-tested while waiting for her RT-PCR test results after being in close contact with her father.

“The self-test kit immediately showed two lines indicating a positive Covid-19 result. So that allowed me to take precautionary measures right away.”

Tiana said she understood the risk of infection is still there for those who are fully vaccinated, and this has made her even more cautious about following the SOP.

“I wouldn’t want to go through this (getting infected) again. It was tough being sick and quarantined in a room for 10 days. It was physically, mentally and emotionally stressful as I was not only worried about my own health but about others who were my close contacts,” she said.

Shan, a marketing executive, was also fully vaccinated when he got infected last month, most likely from a co-worker at his office.

He passed the infection to his 63-year-old father, and is thankful that the older man was fully vaccinated.

The 35-year-old said both of them tested negative after 10 days and have recovered, although they both feel lethargic at times.

“I have to be more cautious now with my surroundings and socialising. We never know what might happen.” – September 27, 2021.