Doctors’ group wary of SOP leeway for first dose recipients

 

The rate of vaccinations has increased in the country with more than a third of the adult population having received their first dose.

PETALING JAYA: A doctors’ group is apprehensive over a proposal to allow those who have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to return to work and move about freely.

The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations of Malaysia (FPMPAM) said it would be much better for Putrajaya to continue ramping up the national immunisation programme and ensure more people were also given their second dose.

“Then we can open shop once and for all, with modified SOPs to minimise reinfections,” FPMPAM president Dr Steven Chow told FMT.

He said Covid-19 SOPs could be modified to fit people with different vaccination statuses: those fully vaccinated, those given one dose, and those not vaccinated yet.

He was commenting on a proposal by retailers to allow those who have received their first dose to move freely and work, with no restrictions on the number of employees at the workplace.

The six retail associations cited published data that showed a 70% efficacy rate against Covid-19 for those who had received the first dose of the vaccine.

Chow said he would support relaxed restrictions for those who were fully vaccinated and he urged the government to expedite its decision. This should have been in the pipeline a long time ago, he added.

He said relaxing the restrictions would add to the effort to convince people on the importance of getting vaccinated.

He suggested that the relaxation begin with allowing those fully vaccinated to go back to work, dine in restaurants and travel for important social duties and family matters as well as across states.

He said it was urgent to revive the economy. “The rakyat want to go back to work. Earning a decent day’s wage is not a crime.”

Referring to Singapore, he said: “Our neighbour is already way ahead.”

Nevertheless, he added, everyone must continue to practise good hygiene and take other precautions against infection.

“The vaccine does not provide carte blanche or absolute protection. You can still be infected, get a milder disease and pass it on to your loved ones.”

Chow also said fully vaccinated foreigners should be allowed entry into the country, arguing that this leeway would likely be reciprocated by other nations for Malaysian travellers.

He added that students and teachers should be allowed to go back to school on a targeted basis and with modified SOPs.

The government has announced that it plans to vaccinate children and teenagers aged 12 to 17, although appointments have not been given out yet.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin urged the Covid-19 special committee for vaccine supply access guarantee to consider relaxing movement restrictions for those given their second dose.

Previously, vaccine minister Khairy Jamaluddin was reported to have said that Putrajaya could allow those who were fully vaccinated to travel across state borders. - FMT