The light at the end of this seemingly endless pandemic tunnel is that jab in your arm that makes you immune to this terrible virus and prevents you from spreading the virus to others: the COVID-19 vaccine.
Much has been written and said about Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik, Sinovac, AstraZeneca and it feels like we are all experts in vaccination techniques by now. But my patience is being tested. My feelings are similar to the last stretch of a long-haul flight: when the end seems to be in sight, the waiting is interminable. Dare I say it, most of us want a vaccination as soon as possible, which will make us feel a little more protected.
In March, the MySejahtera app was released by the Malaysian Ministry of Health. It is the app which facilitates the vaccination program for all 32 million citizens. Francien and I registered immediately. We hoped the vaccination would start soon. It did, but to this day at a snail's pace, because there is a shortage of vaccines in the country. No wonder when the USA, Canada and European Union hoarded 80% of the total world vaccine supplies: what about the rest of the world? Therefore, progress is very slow, too slow for my liking. That poses the question how to get vaccinated as soon as possible?
Not in Europe, because we are registered here in Malaysia, so flying back to The Netherlands or another EU country would not be an option. Social media reported certain private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur that had bought a batch of vaccines. You could get an injection there for a fee. Everything turned out to be "fake news". The media reported that Alaska welcomes every tourist with a free vaccination. Dubai offers vaccination packages for tourists. In Serbia, everyone can get a vaccination for free.
What shall we do?
Waiting in front of the vaccination booths
As part of the COVAX initiative, the World Health Organization supplied Malaysia with a quarter of a million AstraZeneca vaccines to supplement its own ongoing vaccination program which uses the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines. However, the Malaysian population is somewhat reluctant to take any vaccination and after the recent bad press about the AstraZeneca vaccine, very much against this particular serum. Therefore, the Malaysian Health authorities decided not to include AstraZeneca in their main vaccination program. Alas, another setback in the program, because the government is fighting an uphill battle to secure enough vaccines for its people.
But then this unexpected announcement: The government had released those quarter of a million vaccines for distribution in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor on a first-come-first-served basis. This is an opt-in campaign running parallel to the main vaccination program. Hooray, that was a welcome opportunity we were eager to try and take advantage of!
Preparing my first jab…..
It was noon on Sunday and we were ready to try and get an appointment. Francien and I sat in front of our laptops and smartphones. Indeed, an icon with all the vaccination time slots appeared on the national COVID-19 website ‘Jawatankuasa Khas Jaminan Akses Bekalan Vaksin COVID-19’. Immediately a scramble: entering our passport numbers, telephone numbers, clicking on dates and possible locations, in the hope to get a slot. No wonder that the website kept crashing as thousands of people were trying to do the same. The input calendar went on and off, the send button went on and off. Quickly enter our passport numbers again and try again. And again. Then after 15 minutes of trying, we finally got a message: "Congratulations, you have successfully registered". But because we had pressed so many buttons in such a short time, we didn't know what we booked for, nor the time or location. But the next morning, luckily, our MySejahtera app showed a wonderful confirmation. We were both very happy and relieved as we stared proudly at the confirmation details over our first cup of coffee. It would indeed be our turn within the next few days.
So, we arrived at one of the four designated vaccination centers, a university sports complex. Here around 1000 people can be vaccinated every day. All was well organized and efficient. The helpers and medical staff were very friendly. Indeed, there was a happy vibe with so many people feeling positive about their vaccination. After a temperature check and completion of a form, we scanned a QR code with our app.. One more scan and then we sat in front of a doctor.
‘Do you have any underlying health issues'?’ he asked with his stethoscope dangling around his neck.
‘No.’ we replied.
‘Do you feel well?’ his next question was.
‘Yes, we do.’
‘Please sign this consent form.’ he said and gestured us to go to one of the nine vaccination booths. There we waited a few minutes before another doctor, clad in a white gown and wearing a face mask and face shield, called me in and yes, it happened: that wonderful feeling of the injection needle in my upper arm!
Francien is getting her jab
Honestly, we feel much more relaxed now and have already started making plans for our first trip back to Europe in 16 months. Yes, we will continue to wear our masks, keep our social distances and prepare for the next lockdown. But we now see that light at the end of the tunnel much more brighter.
Unfortunately, that is not yet the case for the majority of the people, not only here in Malaysia. Therefore, I raise my hand here: the wealthy countries will soon have enough vaccines to protect their own citizens, but in the rest of the world, where the most people live, that is by far not the case. The world community must make every possible effort to provide all 7.7 billion people on this globe with a jab, because if we are not all protected, nobody really will be.
Stay healthy