AS health authorities begin administering the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 jabs in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor today, recipients told The Malaysian Insight that while there is a little apprehension, they are also confident of its efficacy.

They pointed out that millions of people have taken it and now see this as an opportunity to get immunised against the Covid-19 virus sooner.

The controversies surrounding the safety of the vaccine was not a deterrent as the immunisation slots were snapped up like hotcakes in less than four hours since the registration was opened at 12pm on May 2.

Political analyst, Oh Ei Sun, who signed up for the jab, said he sees this as an opportunity to get vaccinated as soon as possible so that he could travel for work.

The senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs added that he opted for the AstraZeneca vaccine although its efficacy is said to be lower than the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, because of its availability and the timing.

“I think the main thing is because it is available. Frankly speaking, we simply don’t know the schedule for shipments of the various brands and so on,” the 46-year-old told The Malaysian Insight.

“Ideally, most people would like to get the Pfizer jabs. I guess the first batch of Pfizer has been rapidly depleted. They were for the front-liners, politicians and others.

“You don’t know when you are going to get vaccinated. Some people say you must consider yourself lucky if you can get vaccinated by the end of the year.

Now (with) the AstraZeneca (it) is like a legal queue-jumping opportunity opening up.”

He also said although there were several reports of potential side effects, the probability of things going awry was rather low, adding that many eminent people have also been inoculated with the jab.

Twenty-seven-year-old Fatimah Zainal agreed this was a quicker way to get inoculated.

“It is faster than waiting for my turn in the national immunisation programme. Plus, Justin Trudeau (Canadian prime minister) got the same jab, so if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me,” the content writer said.

Fatimah, who is nursing, said she initially had concerns as she was breastfeeding but is now fully convinced that it is better to get vaccinated.

“I read that the antibodies could pass on to the baby as well and may offer immunity to my child. I also have breastfeeding friends who are front-liners and have received their jabs. So this gave me more confidence,” Fatimah said, adding she was given the green light by her doctor for vaccination.

While expressing concern over the escalating Covid-19 cases, Fatimah also drew attention to the slow vaccination uptake among Malaysians.

“We need more people to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity quickly, but it seems that most people are still reluctant to get vaccinated so I don’t have too much faith in (developing) the herd immunity.

“It’s better to just protect myself instead of depending on others to do so,” she said.

Nurul Munirah Rohaizan, 36, said there is a pressing need to hasten the pace of the vaccination programme, given the spike in Covid-19 cases lately.

“To be honest, the main reason why I opted for it is that I don’t have faith in the current system rollout.

“The speed of the rollout, rumours of VVIP cutting queue and the lack of priority for individuals with no health issues. We will always be at the back end. So when the opportunity arose, I took it,” she said, when asked on why she opted for the jab.

The social media manager said reading about the vaccine did help in clearing some doubts.

“Yes, (there are concerns) I guess it’s common to fear something that is new. But reading about the vaccine does help in answering those concerns,” she said.

The jabs will be administered to over 260,000 people in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor who had voluntarily opted for it.

The vaccine was dropped from the main National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to avert concerns over its safety and efficacy.

The vaccine produced by the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm has been at the centre of controversies, following reports of blood clots and deaths among recipients.

However, both local and international health authorities have time and again maintained that the vaccine is safe and efficacious.

Experts’ take

Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Associate Prof Dr Malina Osman said the swift uptake of the vaccine shows that the public perception on the ground is different from what has been circulated on social media.

“Confusing ideas (spread) by anti-vaccine groups related to the vaccination programme have not affected the majority of our population,” she said.

Malina said this goes to show that the claims of anti-vax groups have little effect on the ground although they may claim to have significant support on social media.

She also believes that the quick take-up may not be a direct reflection of the rising number of cases.

“In my opinion, the majority of the public is now waiting eagerly to get vaccinated. Most of us are looking forward to helping our country end this pandemic.

“I don’t think this is a reflection of the current situation where the numbers keep increasing.”

“Most of us have gone through difficulties during this outbreak, the overwhelming response towards the vaccine is a true acceptance of the public wanting to get vaccinated,” she added.

Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, on the other hand, felt that the take-up of the AstraZeneca vaccine was a reflection of concerns over the escalating infections.

“Educated people from urban areas prefer to be vaccinated as soon as possible so they can have greater flexibility in movement. They also feel that the government’s programme is a bit slow,” he said.

The concern, however, he said was whether the move to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine on a voluntary basis may disrupt the flow of the main vaccination drive and push back appointments for priority groups.

“I am still unclear of what exactly the government’s recommendations are for the AstraZeneca vaccine and who the target groups are,” he said.

“Many countries have set age limits for the vaccine,” he added, referring to the decision made by certain countries which are currently administering the vaccine.

He added that these countries have also advised that recipients be given enough advice so that an informed choice can be made.

Apart from that, he also expressed concern that non-priority groups will be given precedence over priority groups such as teachers, front-liners, high-risk groups and foreign workers. – May 5, 2021.