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THE HEALTH | MAY , 2021
| Covid-19 |
Clearing doubts on the vaccines
A successful vaccination programme is our exit strategy for this pandemic
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
A
VIRTUAL forum on ‘ Covid Control and Vaccination ’ was organised recently to shed light on how the pandemic is being handled in Malaysia . It was also to address the hesitancy among some Malaysians to participate in the National Immunisation Programme .
The speakers for the forum were Dr B Venugopalan , Consultant Public Health Specialist , Deputy State Health Director of Selangor State Health Department ( Public Health Division ) and Datuk Dr C Suresh Kumar Chidambaram , Senior Consultant , Infectious Disease Physician and Head of Medical Department from Hospital Sungai Buloh .
The forum was moderated by Dr Sandeep Menon , Medical Officer from Hospital Kuala Lumpur .
MCO is not the solution
Dr Venugopalan presented the topic ‘ Covid Control : Where are we going ?’ to better understand the pandemic control established in Malaysia , particularly on the Movement Control Order ( MCO ).
He explained the MCO was not the cure or the definitive solution against the pandemic . It was implemented to buy some time , identify a better solution , or ease the load in hospitals .
He added : “ For example , the first MCO ’ s objectives was to understand the novel virus transmissions , the disease , and to identify which personal protective measures work . Meanwhile , for the hospitals , we needed the time to develop an effective treatment protocol .
“ The numbers we see now are the transmission among the members of our community . A lot more people are entering the ICU because the vulnerable group , such as the elderlies , are getting the disease .”
Dr Suresh
Dr Venugopalan
The MCO , he said , is usually declared not just based on an increase in cases but also on the ICU capacity .
“ It ’ s merely a pause button , implemented to conserve the use of our ICU beds and ventilators .”
“ If the ICU is now flooded and people are waiting to get in , then you know it is time to do an MCO so that we can have some breathing space .
“ MCOs should be the last resort response . We cannot have it all the time as it causes lots of suffering ,” he stressed .
When the first lockdown was implemented in March 2020 , the whole nation stopped . The numbers and data reported in the past year on the socioeconomic impact were huge .
“ Now , many of us are suffering from pandemic fatigue . There is also community anxiety and paranoia . Another pressing issue is the hesitancy to get the vaccine .”
Vaccine is the exit strategy
Dr Suresh presented on the topic ‘ Covid Vaccines : The Controversies ’. He assured there was enough data that showed Covid- 19 vaccines prevented hospitalisation and severe disease .
According to him , about 19 million people are getting vaccinated every day , and many of these vaccines are happening in western countries .
“ And so , we get excellent data on its efficacy , side effects and so on . Also , based on it , doctors are now more prepared and can warn and treat accordingly post-vaccination .
“ Usually , the second shot is a bit more intense than the first shot . But after two days , you are perfectly back to normal . I ’ ve not seen very many people who struggle beyond the two days .”
The vaccine , said Dr Suresh , induced the immune system to overdrive to produce antibodies and cells that can fight the Covid-19 virus .
“ Data shows vaccination prevents us from getting a severe disease . And even if a vaccinated person in a rare chance got infected , they will then have 50 per cent less chance of transmitting the disease .”
“ The vaccines have so many benefits compared to the yield brought by the Covid-19 virus .”
Worrisome anti-vaccine sentiments
Regarding the emergence of new virulent strains and mutations , Dr Suresh assured the vaccine would still work .
“ Even if it is not as efficacious , it will still prevent hospitalisation and severe complications .”
He also shared that countries with a successful vaccination programme reported a downward trend in cases . In countries with a poor vaccination programme , the numbers were going up .
“ Therefore , a successful vaccination programme is our exit strategy for this pandemic .”
While initially there were some setbacks with the delay in procuring and rolling out the vaccines , he was more surprised and worried about the amount of anti-vaccine sentiments .
“ It is only when a majority of the population gets vaccinated , the virus will not spread as much .”
Dr Venugopalan also emphasised the vaccines were the endgame for the pandemic .
“ We must follow the SOPs . Get yourself vaccinated and encourage those who are vulnerable to get vaccinated as well . Avoid paranoia .”
The presentations by both speakers were followed by a question and answer session . The forum , held on May 1 , was organised by the All Malaysia Malayalee Association ( AMMA ), Klang Malayalee Association ( MAMANGAM ), and Manipal Institute of Technology Alumni Malaysia ( MITians Malaysia ). — The Health