PETALING JAYA: While senior citizens at some old folks’ homes are looking forward to receiving their Covid-19 booster shots, the lack of resources at certain district health offices may result in them being sidelined in the inoculation process, caretakers said.

       One of the reasons for the low booster take-up rate among senior citizens at care homes is due to the inability of district health offices to come to the centres to administer the doses, said the Association for Residential Aged Care Operators (AgeCope) president Delren Terrence Douglas.

       He added that the district health offices (PKD) said they were too understaffed to come to the centres themselves, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

       “There was no issue for my centre in Kedah as the PKD there arranged and came to administer the boosters.

       “The PKD should contact all the centres and arrange for the boosters instead of giving excuses that they lack staff,” he said.

       He added that concerns over sudden deaths had also led to senior citizens worrying that more people were dying of heart attacks although the government has said the deaths were unrelated to the vaccine shots.

       On Monday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said some 3.5 million Sinovac recipients had yet to take their booster shots, while 32% of senior citizens, or more than one million of them, had not taken their booster shots.

       Sarawak Gerontology and Geriatrics Society president Dennis Tan said the low take-up rate of boosters among seniors can be attributed to a variety of factors, including influence by IT-savvy young relatives on social media.

       “Faith in the Health Ministry has also been dented through social media. Seniors listen to the younger ones with links to social media,” he said.

       Tan added that there were also alternative views on how to enhance self-immunity without booster shots, which could contribute to people feeling that a third jab was unnecessary.

       He said awareness campaigns will help to overcome these negative views and the government needs to be consistent and transparent in its dealings with the vaccine manufacturers in order to inspire confidence and trust among Malaysians.

       Meanwhile, health experts said misinformation could have also caused some to shun the booster shot.

       Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said “bad experiences” of other recipients may have also triggered anxiety among those who have yet to receive their shots.

       Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said there is also the misconception among “anti-booster” groups, including those with comorbidities, that the jab will cause more serious health complications compared to the coronavirus itself.

       “They must realise that if they get Covid-19, the chances of them then getting into severe conditions are much higher. The probability is much higher if we compare it with complications from the vaccine,” he said.

       Both Dr Malina and Dr Kuljit warned that there is a risk of a surge in cases if large numbers of the population snub their booster shots.

       “We don’t want the healthcare (system) to be strained because of Covid-19,” he said, adding that this will affect treatment of non-Covid-19 patients.

       Dr Malina said the only way to boost the uptake of booster shots is through education.

       “We need more frontliners to talk about vaccines to the public. Paediatricians should be invited to have more sessions with the mass media to talk about vaccines for children. Physicians who treat the elderly and adults must also share information with the public.

       “We don’t need health professionals other than frontliners to talk unnecessarily on vaccines, which can confuse the public,” she added.