'Make post-jab self-reporting system more accessible'

By Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi - February 24, 2021 @ 9:00am

KUALA LUMPUR: The self-reporting monitoring system for people who have received the Covid-19 jab should be more widely accessible and should not be available only through the MySejahtera application.

Healthcare administrator Dr Khoo Yoong Khean said as the vaccine monitoring system was crucial, it should include a user-friendly website that is accessible to those with Internet access.

He said the authorities should constantly reach out to the people through community visits, surveys and interviews to monitor recipients' post-vaccination condition, especially in rural areas and for communities that may be afraid to come forward.

"Data collection like this is important so that we can continue to implement evidence-based policies."

He said by collecting post-vaccination data, a process known as pharmacovigilance, the authorities would be able to analyse any incidences of side effects and whether they were coincidental or caused by the vaccine.

"Continuous data collection will give us a better idea on the safety of the vaccine and help us predict incidences of side effects in future phases of the vaccination plan."

He said monitoring side effects was not the only purpose of a monitoring system.

"Through a monitoring system, we can also monitor (vaccination) coverage in the population and identify subsets (of the population) who are not vaccinated yet. We can also monitor the effectiveness of the vaccine by seeing any cluster outbreaks or transmissions in any subsets of the population.

"It allows us to check incidences of vaccine failure (attributable to virus variants, for example) and to ascertain if the goal of vaccines is achieved (herd immunity)."

Dr Khoo said the system would also allow the authorities to evaluate vaccine acceptance in the community, identify barriers in any subset of the population and any other inequalities present in vaccine distribution.

As for those getting vaccinated, he said being educated about the vaccine's potential benefits and its expected side effects were important.

"It is good to know what they are so that recipients can inform the monitoring staff straight away during the 30-minute observation period (after getting the jab)."

He urged people who had received their first jab to remember the date for their second shot.

"Do plan ahead to clear your schedule so you can receive the second shot and try not to delay it unnecessarily."

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said most side effects reported were mild and usually resolved within three to four days, adding that the symptoms could be relieved with paracetamol.

"Only a small percentage reported very severe allergic reactions."

He said a person will not be allowed to go home immediately after getting vaccinated.

"They will have to stay for 30 minutes to be monitored (for any side effects)."

He said if the side effects persisted, the person must immediately seek treatment from the nearest clinic.

Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar urged vaccinated individuals to continue adhering to the standard operating procedures, such as physical distancing, wearing face masks and frequently washing hands, even after getting vaccinated.

"The vaccine is not a ticket for us to abandon all the SOP and the new norms that we have been strictly following all this while."