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PETALING JAYA: Malaysians have five ways to sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine, with the registration to start at the beginning of next month.
Online registration can be done via the MySejahtera app or the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee website, http://www.vaksincovid.gov.my
There is also the option to register via a hotline; the number of which will be announced later.
The public may also opt for manual registration at public and private clinics and hospitals. State governments will help those living in rural areas to register.
The public will be informed of their of appointment for the vaccination date and place via MySejahtera, phone calls or SMS.
Malaysia Medical Association president Prof Datuk M. Subramaniam said the current options to register are a good starting point.
He added that more awareness on these options are needed as early feedback received on the ground is that many are still in the dark over where to register.
“Many health officials are also awaiting further instructions and details,” he said.
“The information on registering for the vaccination needs to be more widely and frequently publicised for more people to start registering.
“Early registrations will be important for logistical planning and also to monitor response to the vaccination programme.”
Subramaniam said the government should also start providing regular updates on the number of registrations it has received.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said the challenges for the vaccination programme include the timely and accurate consolidation of all registration information into a common database, ensuring that there will be no repetition of data, lost details, and erroneous data entry.
He said this will be particularly important for the outreach workers gathering information manually from those living in rural and interior locations, where there is little or no telecommunications coverage.
“Ensuring that these names are able to be placed in vaccination slots or appointments, and for them to keep those appointments to be vaccinated, will be the next challenge,” Azrul said.
He pointed out that in many countries at this stage of the vaccine deployment, people not showing up for their appointments is a major hurdle.
He said ensuring that the vaccination slots are fully utilised each day is going to be a challenge as the clock starts ticking for the vaccine doses once they are removed from the Vaccine Storage Centres and placed in the Vaccines Administration Centres where they are in freezers at 2-8°C.
“People must be encouraged to come forward and be vaccinated. No dose should be wasted unnecessarily,” he said.
