BALING: The Orang Asli community from the Lubuk Legong Orang Asli Village here has begun to realise the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine with many of them now looking forward to being vaccinated.
Tok Batin (village chief) Razali Kulim, 42, when met by Bernama, said at first, many of them rejected the vaccine because they were worried it would affect their health, but this was mostly due to inaccurate information on the effects of the vaccine circulated on social media.
“They don’t know how to read, and there were children who told their fathers that those vaccinated can die from it, which have led some of them to say that they would run into the forest if they were forced to be vaccinated at home,” he said.
However, Razali said the community there became much aware of the importance of the vaccine after the Orang Asli Village Security Committee (JPKKOA) gave face-to-face explanations from house to house.
He now hopes that the process of providing vaccines to the Orang Asli community in the village can be accelerated as so far, only two of them, including himself have received the vaccine.
Razali also requested the government to consider having a vaccination centre (PPV) near the settlement area as many of them do not own vehicles.
In PERLIS, senior citizen Chong Kuay Ching 58, from Kaki Bukit, Padang Besar also called on the public to register for their vaccine shots, saying that it would be wasteful not to as the vaccines were not only free, but there is also free transportation provided to get to the PPVs.
“I had earlier thought that we had to pay for the vaccine and I now know that the government is providing them for free,“ he said when met by Bernama here, today.
State Secretary and State Disaster Management Committee chairman Azman Mohd Yusof said Perlis will propose to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to speed up the vaccination of traders, hawkers and food deliverymen as they were more exposed to the risk of Covid-19 infection.
Coffee shop operator Khor Sooi Hwang, 56, when met said food traders should immediately get the Covid-19 vaccine because they deal with many customers on a daily basis.
Rozi Seman, 66, who sells nasi lemak, shared the same sentiment and said traders would feel much safer once they are vaccinated. -Bernama
