A webinar titled “Do I need to get vaccinated with a Covid-19 vaccine? (我是否需要注射新冠疫苗？)” was organised by UTAR Centre for Research on Communicable Diseases (CRCD) in collaboration with the Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC) of Sungai Long Campus on 3 April 2021. It was supported by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). The webinar was hosted on Zoom with an attendance of 237 participants. It also received more than 700 views on UTAR DSSC Facebook.

The invited speaker for the webinar was Seberang Jaya Hospital, Penang Infectious Disease Specialist Dr Cheng Joo Thye. The webinar was moderated by FMHS lecturer Dr Fann Rui Jeat.

Dr Cheng started his webinar by explaining the Covid-19 vaccination’s situations in Malaysia, “The Covid-19 pandemic is ravaging the world and it is urgent to get immediate delivery of the vaccines. The registration for Covid-19 vaccination in Malaysia is moving at a slow pace, making it difficult to achieve a high percentage of vaccination rates in the community. According to the data released by the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), only 31.4 per cent of the Malaysian population aged 18 and above registered to get vaccinated as of 1 April 2021, compared to 28.5 per cent by 25 March 2021.”

Dr Cheng then elaborated on the Covid-19 vaccine and its purpose; how the vaccine protects us; the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine; the benefits of getting a Covid-19 vaccine; how the Covid-19 vaccine is developed; types of vaccines; is the Covid-19 vaccine safe?; side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine; can mRNA vaccines alter my DNA?; Covid-19 vaccine priority groups and three phases of vaccination.

Dr Cheng shared the concept of herd immunity and said, “Covid-19 vaccine is the key to reach herd immunity. Herd immunity acts as a barrier against the disease, with the immune people breaking the potential chain of transmission so those vulnerable populations are unlikely to get it. It was estimated that to achieve herd immunity, around 80-90% of the population must have Covid-19 immunity, either through prior infection or vaccination. That is why the government is encouraging the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine.”

“Vaccines also act as a firewall that prevents the spread of diseases to others. Vaccines provide herd immunity, indirect protection for individuals who could not be vaccinated due to other reasons. We have not achieved any herd immunity through a natural disease process for most major infectious diseases that affect the populations. All of the major infections required vaccination,” he added.

Dr Cheng highlighted the safety issues of Covid-19 vaccine that largely concerned the participants, “Covid-19 vaccines are safe for most people. However, some groups need to be further evaluated before receiving the vaccine, for example, those with a history of severe allergic reactions, pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, immunocompromised persons, people who have or had Covid-19.”

He moved on to speak about the three phases of Covid-19 vaccination. There are a total of three phases, Phase One (Feb-Apr 2021) for the first liners including public and private health care providers and essential service providers, Phase Two (Apr-Aug 2021) for remaining health care providers and essential service providers plus high-risk population such as elderlies above 65 years old and patients with chronic diseases and Phase Three (May 2021 - Feb 2022) for all volunteers above 18 years old, regardless of nationality; priority will be given to red zones followed by yellow and green zones.

Dr Cheng also emphasised on the side effects that one could get from the vaccines. He said, “Just like any other medications, vaccines can cause side effects. These side effects can be caused by product-related vaccines such as antibiotics, stabilisers, preservatives, adjuvants and proteins; error-related immunisation; anxiety-related immunisation and coincidental event. The side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine reported so far are mild and temporary; it includes pain or swelling or redness at the injected area, tiredness, headache, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, feeling unwell, swelling of the lymph nodes and other side effects that may be reported from time to time, which are part of the immune response to the vaccine.”

Before ending the webinar, Dr Cheng urged the participants, “Vaccines are one of the methods for us to curb this pandemic and one of the best ways to protect our society from Covid-19. It is important to get Covid-19 vaccinations as the vaccine is not only protecting us, but also the people around us. I hope through this webinar, you have gained some new knowledge and insight into Covid-19 vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

The webinar ended with a successful Q&A session and a group photograph session.