Mega vaccination centres – high-efficiency or high-risk?

 

Massive amounts of Covid-19 vaccine supplies have started to arrive at our shores this month and the government has been trying to vaccinate as many people as possible in the shortest possible time.

Hospitals and clinics are not going to be enough for this and one of the ways to carry out the vaccination programme quickly is by doing mass vaccination in huge convention centres, especially in the Klang Valley.

The use of mega centres for the programme is fast and efficient, judging from many who shared on social media about the less-than-an-hour vaccination process. It is also comforting to know that ambulances are on standby in the event of a severe adverse event.

Nationwide, more than 300,000 people are now being vaccinated daily, which is quite a feat.

While that is laudable, the use of mega centres brings another problem. The Ideal Convention Centre in Shah Alam reported that more than 200 staff members involved in the vaccination exercise tested positive for Covid-19.

The government now has to take stock of the situation and act quickly to change its approach. It must be careful to avoid methods that could trigger new clusters, or else it will end up shooting itself in the foot.

Consider this, thousands throng a convention centre every day in an enclosed area waiting for an hour or two. With Covid-19 asymptomatic people expected in the crowd, there is a potential risk of spread.

Potential vaccine recipients will be sitting on many different chairs as they are guided from one station to another, from waiting for registration to being assessed by a doctor, waiting for the jab, getting the shot and finally the observation period.

Along the way, they also face doctors with face masks on while touching pads and forms that need to be filled up.

Every point can pose a risk and we cannot afford mega clusters emerging now when our healthcare system is at a breaking point.

We have been constantly reminded to avoid crowded and enclosed areas. And it has been a norm for people to not spend more than 20 minutes out buying groceries in enclosed and air-conditioned areas such as the supermarkets.

If gatherings are not allowed, why are crowds allowed for vaccination in huge centres every day?

What should be done?

Due to such exposure at mega centres, it is crucial that all who have gone through mega vaccination centres or any vaccination centre do self-monitoring and take precautions to protect themselves and others around them.

It is also worrying to hear that young volunteers are not vaccinated before working at the centres. All frontliners and volunteers at vaccination centres should be vaccinated before they are exposed to the crowd.

Meanwhile, national Covid-19 immunisation programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin and the Covid-19 immunisation task force, with the advice of the health ministry, should find areas with good ventilation to operate as vaccination centres.

A drive-through under a shaded area could be adopted as healthcare workers and volunteers will be protected from the rain and direct sunlight.

Even the current convention halls that are being used as vaccination centres can be converted to a drive-through method if they have the capacity, such as open-air buildings or roads that are shaded.

The air-conditioned halls could still be used to stock temperature sensitive vaccines, protective clothing, syringes and other supplies.

Former federal minister Rafidah Aziz was right when she said the government should stop having thousands of people crowding mega vaccination centres and should instead carry out smaller-sized population vaccination at district level, with multi-purpose halls used for the purpose.

“The data collected at these district centres can then be collated by the district health offices, then escalated to the state health departments for analysis and transmission to the health ministry,” she told FMT recently.

While these are being carried out, it may not be enough and the network of general practitioners should be used widely so that doctors can monitor and advise patients in the event of a side effect.

The other option is for the vaccination teams to go from one housing area to another to vaccinate those eligible such as those above age 60, the disabled, and pregnant mothers who have yet to be vaccinated.

While the vaccination teams do go to homes with such needs, more outreach work needs to be done to get those who have not registered.

Some of these people have not registered for various reasons. For one, it is very challenging for family members to send their loved ones to huge vaccination centres because of their various physical or medical conditions.

They have difficulty walking the distances in mega centres. Some frail elderly people and pregnant mothers also suffer from incontinence, fear of crowds and the cold.

It is also challenging for family members managing a disabled member with mental or behavioural issues.

If the government is planning another mega vaccination centre, it should stop and consider other safer vaccination approaches.

With Malaysia caught in the Covid-19 pandemic “storm” and healthcare systems at breaking point, the government and the people must make every effort to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading in vaccination centres.

The nation’s mental and emotional health have been stretched beyond its limits.

The last thing we want are mega clusters from mega centres. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.