FEAR of not being allowed to perform the haj due to Saudi Arabia’s position on the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is among the reasons for no-shows at vaccination appointments in Kelantan, a doctor on the ground said.

Believing fake news about the dangers of the vaccine is also another reason among the nearly 10,000 Kelantanese who have failed to keep their vaccination appointments, said Dr Nurul Amirah Abdul Hadi, who is currently stationed at a vaccination centre in Pasir Mas.

Nurul told The Malaysian Insight many locals fear that because Malaysia is dispensing the Sinovac vaccine, which Saudi Arabia has not approved for haj pilgrims, there is concern that they will not be allowed to perform their religious duty.

“Yes, many Kelantanese, especially the elderly, reject the Sinovac vaccine because they have heard news that Saudi Arabia does not allow those who have received this vaccine to enter the country,” said the doctor, who works at the Apam Putra centre in Lubok Jong.

“What they should understand is that Sinovac is registered with the World Health Organisation and is in the process of completing the requirements to obtain an Emergency Used Listing from the world body.

“Therefore, it won’t be impossible that Sinovac will eventually be accepted by Saudi Arabia, as Malaysia is not the only country using this vaccine,” she said.

Nurul said several other countries, including Muslim-majority Indonesia, also use Sinovac, as it was cheaper among the vaccines available.

Saudi Arabia currently does not recognise the use of Sinovac among haj pilgrims entering the country, and Tabung Haji has told Malaysian Muslims wanting to perform the pilgrimage to check the kingdom’s pre-conditions on vaccines.

Sinovac is used in Malaysia’s national immunisation drive, besides Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

Indonesian Muslims, too, have the same concern, and Jakarta is being urged to negotiate with Saudi Arabia over the matter.

Nurul said people must reorder their priorities to focus on protecting themselves and their immediate family members from being infected with the coronavirus.

The fears, however, persist despite a decree by the national fatwa council that has made inoculation against Covid-19 compulsory for high-risk groups, and encouraged for others.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed yesterday went on government broadcaster RTM to remind people of the fatwa.

Vaccination against Covid-19 is not mandatory, but the government is aiming to achieve 80% herd immunity by the end of this year.

But the slow pace of the vaccination programme is discouraging many, with the government blaming a lack of vaccine supplies due to hoarding by richer countries, compounded by people’s failure to keep appointments.

Besides Kelantan, Pahang also saw about 10,000 people who had registered for vaccination fail to show up. Kedah recorded the most with 10,827 no-shows.

Other states with a high number of no-shows to date are Perak (9,009), Negri Sembilan (6,323), Malacca (3,612), and Perlis (3,000).

Fake news and other factors

Kelantan now has more than 24,000 cumulative Covid-19 cases, when it was largely a green state last year during the early days of the pandemic.

Nurul said it is frustrating that people chose to believe fake news spread through social media and WhatsApp.

This is also compounded by the difficulty many senior citizens face with using technology, whether the MySejahtera app or to navigate the vaccine registration website.

“They may also not have smartphones. This group can only register with the help of their children.

“And their children may face constraints in helping their parents, such as difficulty in applying for leave from work to take their parents to the vaccination centre.

“For this group, they register only with the help of children and this causes them to miss the vaccination appointment date.

“Some of the elderly also have health problems and end up not going for their appointments.”

News reports on the 10,000 in Kelantan who missed their vaccination appointments quoted state health department director Dr Zaini Hussin as saying that reasons given were health problems, personal problems and a “change of mind”, while some gave no reason at all.

The current phase of the national vaccination programme is for the elderly. With the high number of no-shows among this age group, Nurul said other Kelantanese have turned up to wait outside vaccination centres to try their luck at getting a jab.

“Some are willing to wait until the evening to see if there is a surplus of vaccines. But we cannot give it to them because there is already a waiting list to replace those who were absent. Those on the waiting list are from the same (phase two) group,” she said.

She takes this as an encouraging sign, however, that there are still many people eager to receive the vaccine.

Volunteer Abdul Hadi Mohamad, meanwhile said, children should help their elderly parents by educating them to differentiate between false news and verified information.

“Let us not aggravate the situation by spreading false news and information,” he said, adding that Covid-19 was “no joke” after losing some of his own friends to the virus.

“Several of my friends were admitted to the intensive care unit and some have died. Just accept what the Health Ministry is trying to do with an open heart,” he pleaded.

Public health experts interviewed have said the fear of side effects from vaccination, social factors such as peer pressure, overlooking the appointment date, and transportation and logistics issues, are also other reasons for no-shows.

Some Kelantan-born celebrities have taken it upon themselves to use their star power to persuade locals to keep their vaccination appointments.

One of them is actor-director Mohd Sabri Yaakub, who has made social media posts urging Kelantanese to get vaccinated for the sake of their loved ones.

“This (the vaccine) is a protection, if you get the virus, it will fight the virus for you. Don’t reject it, don’t believe those who say the government is lying. If we take it, we will be stronger to resist the virus,” Sabri said in a post. – May 30, 2021.