MMA: Anti-vaccine folks change after loved ones die, don't let that be you

 

Many Covid-19 patients who are anti-vaccine tend to change their minds after getting infected or see loved ones die of the disease, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai.

Koh said this was based on experience dealing with such patients and he hopes that those who are refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19 will not wait until something unfortunate happens.

"As doctors, we have seen anti-vaccine patients change their tune about vaccines when a family member or they themselves are infected with Covid-19.

"Often we see that when a family member dies from Covid-19, all of a sudden the vaccines become important to the surviving family members.

"So our advice to anti-vaxxers is to get vaccinated before they or a loved one becomes Covid-19's next victim," he said in a statement.

Koh said the effects of the Covid-19 vaccine in helping to lower the number of infections can already be observed.

Unvaccinated individuals

However, he said, there was still slightly under 10 percent of the population who are refusing to get vaccinated.

"It should be noted that while cases have dipped significantly, there are still patients hospitalised for Category 3, 4 and 5 Covid-19. The majority of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals," he said.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Koh Kar Chai

He said with the presence of the Delta variant, even healthy individuals with no prior medical issues can be hospitalised.

"Many are also suffering from long Covid-19 where symptoms such as fatigue, respiratory and neurological symptoms last from several weeks to months, which is an unpleasant experience, to say the least," he said.

Koh said the government needs to drive awareness among people to vaccinate to protect themselves and their loved ones.

"We also recommend that aside from educating the public on vaccines, counselling services be offered to those fearing vaccination as fear is a major factor contributing to vaccine hesitancy," he said.

Putrajaya has stopped short of enforcing a blanket Covid-19 vaccine mandate but said it will make "life difficult" for those who refuse the vaccine without legitimate medical grounds.

This includes plans to limit their access to certain premises and mandating weekly testing. - Mkini