EVERY day without fail I look on the MySejathera app for news of my appointment for my vaccination but it has not been forthcoming.
I am in my mid-60’s and am still waiting for my vaccination date. I registered for vaccination when it was opened in the MySejahtera App early this year. And every other day, especially when phase two began, I was hopeful that I would be called but to date I am still waiting.
I know that phase one was for frontliners and essential service sector personnel but I was quite hopeful of getting called up under phase two, which was designated for those over 60, and the vulnerable group.
Phase two started in May, and it is mid-June and still there is no news of my vaccine date. I understand that we are running short of supplies and that the demand is massive for the vaccine.
But the irony is that my friends who are younger than me and much healthier have been vaccinated, and they are now waiting for their second dose. These friends of mine have been rubbing salt to my wound by showing off their vaccination status and pictures of them standing in front of the “I have been vaccinated” banners at vaccination centres.
I asked them how they were vaccinated so soon, and they said that “God works in mysterious ways”.
Later, I found out that they had contacts with frontliners at vaccination centres and when there was a “no show” by the appointed person, these frontliners called up my friends who were on standby at short notice.
The vaccines cannot be stored once it is removed from storage, so it is good that the vaccine does not go to waste. A friend of mine told me of this “back door” tactic but I am not sure whether such things do happen at vaccination centres.
From what I have read, when the appointed person does not show up due to unforeseen circumstances, the centre has a standby list of people to be vaccinated.
Hopefully, there are no queue jumpers who deprive deserving and vulnerable people from being vaccinated.
Negri Sembilan, just like Selangor, has been recording large numbers of Covid infections, and I think the people in Negri Sembilan should be given a bigger allocation of vaccines.
Many from Seremban and outlying areas in the state travel to Kuala Lumpur and other places in Selangor to work and so the chances of them being infected are great. And these people could be asymptomatic and be moving around at supermarkets and other public places. They could infect the aged and the vulnerable.
Hopefully, Negri Sembilan is put on a fast track for vaccination to curb the spread of infections in the state.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and waiting for good news as the authorities have informed through the media that the vaccination drive will pick up speed the following months when more vaccines arrive, and they plan to vaccinate 200,000 to 300,000 persons per day.
In the meantime, let us vaccinate those who have registered first before we focus on people who refuse to be vaccinated. Why go on a drive to recruit people to sign up for vaccination when there is a lack in supplies of vaccines.
Samuel Yesuiah
Seremban
