THE decision to allow people to take the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot on a voluntary basis may further fuel apprehension about the brand of vaccine, said health experts.

Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said this could affect the take-up rate of the Covid jabs.

“The decision will give rise to uncertainty among the general public and it may increase hesitancy and affect the uptake of the vaccine,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“I am not sure how many people will volunteer to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

Zainal also flagged concerns poor uptake could lead to wastage.

Coordinating minister for the national immunisation programme Khairy Jamaluddin said on Wednesday the vaccine would not feature among the shots to be given to the public and would be given only to those who volunteered to take the shots. 

Consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital, Dr Musa Noordin said poor communication from the government could have eroded public confidence in the vaccine.

“The risk communication has been poorly handled from the very start,” he said.

“In many ways, it’s a self-inflicted situation by multiple spokespersons in multiple ministries and agencies which have eroded the people’s confidence in the vaccine.”

Dr Musa, a founding member of Immunise4Life, referred to a now deleted post on the Health Ministry’s Facebook page on the suspension of use of the vaccine in some European countries following the occurrence of blood clots after administration of the shot.

The post said five countries had halted use of the vaccine following the findings of the European Medicine Agency Safety Committee.

He said the post was removed after complaints were made to the Health Ministry.

“They claim the benefits outweigh the side effects. Yet they displayed a list of countries which had suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“Actions like this have caused confidence to plummet, perhaps irreversibly,” he added.

This is despite the advice of global health agencies and national regulators that all authorised Covid-19 vaccines were highly effective in preventing hospitalisation and death.

Musa added the coronavirus threat is still prevalent in Malaysia and a speedy and scaled-up vaccination drive will help protect the healthcare resources and facilitate exit from the pandemic.

Citing studies, he said the AstraZeneca jabs will benefit those aged 50 and older.

“For those between the ages of 50 and 69, 16.5 per 100,000 persons are saved from Covid-19 death, 21.5 per 100,000 persons are spared ICU admission, and 149 per 100,000 persons prevented from being admitted into hospital.

“This contrasts with the risk of a blood clot occurring at a rate of 10 per million.”

Zainal, meanwhile, said evidence shows the vaccine is safe for use for people above the age of 65.

“Most countries are just a bit cautious about giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to the younger age groups,” he said.

“Many countries are using it, with age restrictions. We cannot be too restrictive when vaccine supply is so limited and Covid-19 is still spreading,” he added.

Give it to men below 50

Medical virologist Dr Chee Hui Yee recommended the vaccine be administered to men below the age of 50 as the blood clots after the jobs occured predominantly in women of that age group.

“AstraZeneca has risks to women below 50,” the associate professor at Universiti Putra Malaysia said.

She said people may need to be presented with scientific evidence of the vaccine’s safety to be persuaded to  take it.

Khairy said the vaccine will not be used at the locations where the Pfizer and Sinovac jabs are administered. Instead, the AstraZeneca shots will only be available at special vaccination centres in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia received the first batch of the vaccine, comprising 268,800 doses, on Saturday.

Use of the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and Oxford University grew controversial after blood clots and deaths were reported  among its recipients.

Khairy said although the government remains convinced of the safety of the vaccine, it has taken note of public concern.

“We do not want to waste this safe and effective vaccine but at the same time we understand that in today’s world, science and facts cannot avert people’s worry and the spread of fake news,” he said. – April 30, 2021.