A NUMBER of Malaysians working in Singapore have received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and shared the experience on the Malaysian-Singapore Border Crossers Facebook page, which now has almost 82,000 members.

According to Imra Astata Ibrahim, 40, who works in the marine sector, he took the first injection on January 13 and has to wait 21 days for the second dose.

Imra Astata, who rents a room in Jurong West, said he did not hesitate to get the vaccine with 10 of his Malaysian colleagues.

In fact, the father of three has high hopes that by getting vaccinated, it will be easier for him to travel back and forth to Johor than previously.

“Who knows there will be an understanding between the two countries to facilitate the movement of commuters for workers who have received this vaccine,” he said.

Imra Astata only returned to the republic on September 24 after strict measures at both borders were introduced in March.

Asked if there were any effects after taking the vaccine, Imra Astata said before taking it, he and his colleagues had been informed of the possible side effects.

“So far my friends and I are healthy after taking the jab. Only on the first day I did feel a slight numb and pain at the injection area,” said Imra Astata.

The Singapore government has made provision for all Singaporeans and long-term residents to get vaccinated by end-2021, if there are no unforeseen disruptions to vaccine shipments.

Singapore received the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on December 21.

To ensure accessibility of the vaccine and enable the republic to achieve a higher rate of inoculation for the population, this vaccination will be free.

According to the republic’s Ministry of Health, as of January 12, more than 6,200 people have received their first dose of the vaccine.

These numbers are expected to rise substantially in the coming weeks as it continues to ramp up its vaccination operations, it said. – Bernama, January 17, 2021.