KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — DOC2US, the first and only telemedicine provider in Malaysia to provide digitally signed e-prescription services in compliance with Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines, has released a series of infographics to help address concerns on Covid-19, its vaccines and related issues.
Based on the questions received by its Covid-19 Task Force via the government’s integrated platform, MySejahtera app, one of the most frequently asked questions in recent months is “Does the brand of Covid-19 vaccines matter?”
“Different brands of Covid-19 vaccines have varying efficacies, and it gets complicated when different brands measure efficacy differently. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of each brand, we should focus on the ultimate goal in achieving herd immunity by having at least 80 per cent of the adult population in Malaysia vaccinated,” according to Dr Ming-Lee Ng, medical director of DOC2US.
According to Our World In Data, only 2.5 per cent of the Malaysian population has been fully vaccinated as of May 18, 2021, lagging behind the global figure of 4.7 per cent.
“We assembled our Covid-19 Task Force which is made up of professional doctors and health care professionals shortly prior to the first Movement Control Order (MCO) in March last year. It is a voluntary virtual health advisory service with the aim to help the public gain adequate information about the spread and the management of the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce patient-medical health care specialist contact. The public can ask our task force questions on Covid-19 and related matters via the MySejahtera App for free,” said Dr Raymond Choy, chief executive officer of DOC2US.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions received by the task force on Covid-19 and related issues:
1. Does the brand of COVID-19 vaccines matter?
The short answer is: No, the brand does not matter. Follow this link for a more detailed answer.
2. What if I suddenly don’t feel like receiving the vaccination on that day? Can I just ffk (stands for fong fei kei, which means means ditching or standing up on an appointment in Cantonese)?
Technically, you can. Receiving a vaccination is a voluntary action, you won’t be arrested for ditching your Covid-19 appointment. However, unless you have a valid reason, you should not miss your Covid-19 vaccination appointment. Here’s why.
3. Can you tell me more about blood clots and Covid-19 vaccines?
Authorities in certain countries speculated that AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccines are linked to a few rare but serious blood clotting cases. To be fair, when we say that these two vaccines are linked to rare but serious blood clotting, we do not mean that the vaccines cause the blood clot; it’s just that these two vaccines and certain blood clotting cases seem to have some unclear connection, but it does not imply causation. At this stage, scientists simply do not know enough to answer that. Click here for more info.
4. Should pregnant women receive the Covid-19 vaccine?
No study to date has specifically evaluated the Covid-19 vaccine in pregnant and lactating women. In other words, we do not have enough data to inform us how safe the Covid-19 vaccine for this group. This does not mean that Covid-19 vaccine is unsafe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, it’s just that we do not know its safety for sure. Click here for more info.
5. Are more young people in Malaysia infected by Covid-19?
According to an analysis published by CodeBlue, although the elderly (65 years old and above) still comprise 59.5 per cent of the death cases, the death rate among younger people (25 to 54 years old) has exceeded those who are slightly older (55 to 64 years old), from March 31 to May 4, 2021. In other words, more younger people in Malaysia have been admitted into the ICU or have died from Covid-19. Click here for more info.
6. I am Covid positive and currently in home quarantine. However, I have yet to receive a call from the MOH. What should I do now?
Please refer to this link for more information.
If you have any enquiries related to Covid-19, you can consult the Covid-19 task force for free through MySejahtera>Digital Health>VHA>DOC2US.
Orignal source from https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/05/21/does-the-brand-of-covid-19-vaccine-matter/
