PEOPLE must keep their Covid-19 vaccination appointments to prevent wastage, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

They must make sure to take the full course of two doses for protection, he said.

Noor Hisham said the vaccine is costly and hard to procure and it will be a shame if it is wasted  

He advised the vaccination candidate to confirm their appointments several days in advance.

“If the person misses the vaccination on the day of appointment, we will see if the dose can be given to others on the waiting list to avoid wastage.

“So try not to miss your appointment,” Noor Hisham said in a Zoom dialogue session this evening. 

The government plans to inoculate at least 80% of the population by next February. 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Noor Hisham were the first people in Malaysia to receive the shots, which were administered on Wednesday in Putrajaya.

Noor Hisham said that while the health authority could take action against those fail to show up for their jabs, its preferred to use “the carrot rather than the stick”.

Senior assistant director-general of the disease control division at the Health Ministry, Dr Mahesh Appannan said several reminders are sent to the vaccination candidates in the days leading to their appointments.

 He said those who cannot make it should call to say so three days before the date of the appointment.

“We send a reminder three days prior to the vaccination date and at that point , we require the person to reply with whether they can come on that particular day, said Mahesh, who was also on Zoom today.

 “Subsequently, there will be a reminder sent out every day (until the appointment is kept).

“If there is a legitimate reason, we can reschedule their appointments. – February 26, 2021.