AS Malaysia gears up for the second phase of the national Covid-19 vaccination drive, lawmakers among the 700,000 front-liners to receive jab in the first phase, talked to The Malaysian Insight about their experience.

MPs and ministers said they experienced minor discomfort or a mild reaction, although it was nothing serious. They also advised members of the public to sign up for vaccination to achieve herd immunity quickly.

“It ached in the arm where I was injected and I had mild fever. It was just for a short period and I was back to normal after that,” Dr Adham Baba, the 58-year-old health minister and Tenggara MP said.

“With herd immunity, we can also protect those who are not eligible for Covid-19 vaccination. At the same time, vaccination can also prevent serious Covid-19 infections and deaths.”

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said the only effect he felt was a little tiredness for a day or two, adding that he had no apprehension when getting the jab.

“I would advise everybody to get vaccinated for their own sake and their loved ones,” said the 80-year-old Iskandar Puteri MP.

He added that although there are still many questions on the unknown aspects of the vaccines, it is better to get vaccinated to put an end to the pandemic and spur economic recovery as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Water and Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said he received his first jab on March 24 at Klinik Kesihatan Putrajaya.

“I felt only a little pain when receiving the injection, but it vanished by the following afternoon and I was back to normal.

“I am scheduled to receive my second jab on April 14,” he said, adding he was advised to watch a video on the vaccination process.

The second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will begin on April 17.

The government is targeting 9.4 million people comprising high-risk groups such as the elderly, those with existing chronic health conditions and disabled people.

Trends observed

Adham said the vaccine will only be effective 14 days after the second dose is administered.

Therefore, he said, it is still early to gauge the effectiveness of the national vaccination drive.

He said the data collected from the vaccination of healthcare workers will be used as a reference for the subsequent phases of the vaccination programme.

As of March 27, the number of infections involving Ministry of Health staff have been on the decline,” he said.

Adham said the National Pharmaceutical Regulary Agency (NPRA) is also monitoring post-immunisation adverse effects among vaccine recipients through the Pharmacy Information System, the NPRA’s website and the MySejahtera application.

About 25,000 of the more than 700,000 Covid-19 vaccine recipients complained of mild or serious side effects.

Of this, 99.5% of the cases were mild, while the remaining 0.5% required treatment and observation.

Mild side effects include pain at the injection spot, fever, headache, vomiting, nausea and tingling in the body, while the more serious side effects were swelling in some parts of the body such as the face, shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest. – April 7, 2021.