Getting the population vaccinated against Covid-19 is far from smooth, but it is something we must do. The good thing (for me), is that after waiting for more than three months, I finally got my Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday.
And it was all due to a friend, Alvin Seah, who is Head of Commercial at Duopharma Biotech.
Following a number of no-shows, Seah reached out and asked if I wanted to be put on a waiting list.
“This back up list is to replace the no-shows at several vaccination centres,” said Seah, who explained that once vaccines are transported to the centres, they have to be used on the same day, or be destroyed.
“The goal of the back up list is to prevent wastage of the vaccines and to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”
Those eligible have to be above 65, people with special needs, school teachers, therapists and media personnel – and must not have a vaccine appointment.
Perhaps, that is why my Home Minister has not received an appointment, even though we registered for the back up list at the same time.
There is no ‘queue jumping’, and more importantly, it is registered in the MySejahtera mobile application.
The only thing about being on the back up list is that after receiving a call to confirm your vaccination date, you have to continuously refresh the app.
Do not worry if you miss the appointment time – as long as you go on the same day.
My appointment was for 9am but I was only notified when I refreshed the app for the 10,358th time (that’s an exaggeration, by the way), at 11.59am on Thursday.
However, if you received your appointment via the standard channel, please be on time to avoid the crowd and to not rush those on duty.
Another thing people need to understand about the vaccine is that there is still a small possibility of getting Covid-19. It is not a license to do as you please.
“Vaccination reduces the risk of contracting Covid-19,” said Seah.
“It also reduces the possibility of death and debilitating complications that can put a strain on intensive, and critical care units.
“As such, it is very important to be vaccinated.”
There are still incidents of people being sent to vaccination centres located far from their homes, or, as had happened to Twentytwo13 editor Haresh Deol’s mother last Sunday, to a venue that was closed.
Thankfully, quick intervention from a Mr Dinesh from the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply saw Haresh’s mother being redirected to the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur, from the Sunway Convention Centre in Subang, where she got her shot.
While she was lucky, Hafadzah A, who is immunocompromised and has been bedridden for the past four years, is still waiting to be vaccinated.
Her daughter initially contacted the Health Ministry and a doctor said she would record her mother’s condition, but when she checked the MySejahtera mobile application, it was only written that her mother was unwell.
“I have tried three times to arrange for her to be vaccinated at home with the Health Ministry and a private hospital, but they do not seem to understand,” said her daughter.
“I understand home vaccinations have not started but I just want to get her registered for that. Instead, they keep giving me appointments to go to the centre.”
Several family members and friends, some of whom are older and others who are in the high-risk group, are still waiting patiently, despite registering much earlier for the shots.
They are wondering why some of their acquaintances, who are younger and healthier, have received theirs.
Despite the issues, please, please, make sure you register for the vaccine.
MORE THAN 4,000 DEATHS FROM COVID-19
On Tuesday, we hit a grim milestone when we surpassed 4,000 deaths (4,069) from Covid-19. On that same day, we had 101 fatalities, the only time in the past week where we had more than a hundred deaths in a day.
Since last Friday, there had been 508 deaths, which took the total to 4,276.
As such, although the number of new cases had dropped to 38,793, the fact that we are still averaging close to 72.5 deaths per week, is worrying.
Until yesterday, we have had 685,204 Covid-19 cases.
Recoveries hit an all-time high of 51,547 in the last seven days.
That means 615,326, or 89.8 per cent of patients have been declared free of the virus.
Worldwide, there are nearly 178.3 million cases with 3.85 million fatalities.
WHEN WILL IT BE OPENED?
Although the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had decreed that Parliament should reconvene as soon as possible, we still do not know when that would be.
As a result, this got passed around on social media.
AROMA BURGER TESTS POSITIVE FOR DELICIOUSNESS, NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19
Regular readers of Twentytwo13 would know how much I love burgers, especially the ones from Aroma Burger at USJ14.
The good news is that Samsuri Salim is open despite being near two coffee shops that were recently closed due to several positive Covid-19 cases.
Sam, as he is more popularly known, and his assistant Iskandar Zul Kardain Samsuri (no relation), quickly went for testing and have been given a clean bill of health.
So, those staying in Subang Jaya, if you are craving some delicious burgers, you know where to go.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
With the extension of the third MCO, this was also widely shared.
20 CHICKEN DISHES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO MAKE
Read this interesting article. Some great recipes to try during this lockdown period.
WATCH SARAWAK RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR FREE
If you feel like listening to some great local music, head to the Shopee app today and tomorrow at 6pm to watch the Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival for free.
O MEIN PAPA
In honour of Father’s Day tomorrow, here is one of my favourite songs from Connie Francis – Oh My Papa or O Mein Papa to give it its original German title.
Although most people are familiar with the Eddie Fisher version, Swiss composer Paul Burkhard completed it in 1939 for the film Der Schwarze Hecht (The Black Pike). It was originally sung by a girl in remembrance of her father, a once-famous clown.
Younger audiences would probably recognise it from The Simpsons where Krusty the Clown sang it to his father, who opposed his comedy career.
Happy Father’s Day to all dads and single mums out there. I miss you, dad.
