PUTRAJAYA,Feb 25: Frontliners who are the early recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine shots have urged the public not to be afraid as it was just like other regular vaccine shots to protect oneself from various illnesses.
Clement Marai Francis, 36, a driver at the Putrajaya district health office said he was lucky to be inoculated considering his job to transport Covid-19 patients was incredibly risky.
“I didn’t feel anything when receiving the vaccine shot and the people should not be afraid. I took the vaccine because I wanted to protect my family.
“Now I don’t have to worry about interacting with them after returning from work,” he told reporters at the Putrajaya district health office in Precint 11 here today.
Clement was among the early recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shots after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, as the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme officially started today.
Besides Muhyiddin and Clement, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and three other health ministry personnel, Dr Tan Yee Ling, Khairul Asraf Mohd Yasin and Sheilla Mellissa Sikinwere, also received their vaccine shots today.
Noor Hisham, who is among the key persons in the battle to flatten the Covid-19 curve in this country, said he did not experience any side effects after receiving the vaccine shot.
“This (National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme) is the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 infection in the country,” he said.
He added that the health ministry would monitor all vaccine recipients via the MySejahtera application and any complications would be reported directly to the ministry.
For Khairul, an assistant medical officer at the Putrajaya district health office, he was thankful to be among the early recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine and hoped all frontliners would take the vaccine as well.
“We have given our best and we need to trust in Allah,” said Khairul who has been involved in the prevention and management of Covid-19 since March last year.
Meanwhile, Putrajaya district health office matron, Lina Ibrahim, 49, who administered the vaccine to the prime minister was thankful and relieved for being able to fulfil the responsibility entrusted upon her.
“I was quite nervous then because it was the prime minister. Alhamdulillah, everything went well,” she said.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme themed “Protect Oneself, Protect Everyone” will be implemented in three phases, with the first phase from February to April for 500,000 frontliners.
Phase 2 from April to August is for senior citizens aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and persons with disabilities involving 9.4 million people, while phase three is from May to February 2022, for those aged 18 and above, covering more than 13.7 million people.
