JOHOR BARU: From blushing young ladies to people demanding to choose which arm is injected, medical staff at vaccination centres (PPV) can claim to have seen it all.

       “A standard question to ask women is whether they are pregnant or are planning to conceive in order to assess their suitability for the jab,” said Edward Ng, a houseman who has assisted at several PPV since early July.

       “I was surprised when some of them started to blush or give bashful reactions. They would immediately look down or lower their voice, which made me feel awkward too,” he said.

       But some of the older women were bolder in their replies. One of them told him that “kilang sudah tutup”, meaning she would not give birth anymore.

       Ng, 30, also had to explain to hundreds of foreign workers who asked to be jabbed on different arms for each dose.

       “This happened countless times. When we are about to inject them, they would suddenly stand up and say ‘hari itu inject kiri, hari ini inject kanan’.

       “It was funny at first. But when we have to explain to about 200 to 300 people a day that there is no difference as to which arm is injected, it held up the traffic flow at the vaccination station,” he said.

       Once, a man stepped into the vaccination booth and asked Ng whether he lit candles at home.

       “I was caught off guard. I answered no. He just kept quiet throughout the whole process.

       “Before leaving the booth, he presented me with a gift box filled with cute candles. He told me that he had a homemade candle project and wanted me to try some. It was a pleasant surprise. He told me he had met me at the PPV twice and wanted to show his gratitude,” he said.

       Another PPV staff member, Norshikin Mohd Salleh, 39, recounted how a long-distance lorry driver collapsed in front of her.

       She said the lorry driver had just ended a round trip from Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur before rushing to the PPV at around 8.30pm.

       “Although the centre was about to close for the day, we felt sorry for him and allowed him to get his vaccine. What happened next was shocking because he collapsed right after receiving his dose. We immediately sent him to the sick bay for emergency medical attention and intravenous drip.

       “After a few minutes, he regained consciousness and revealed he had not eaten and did not rest enough. So we gave him food and drinks and let him rest there,” she said.

       The driver’s cousin later picked him up at around 11pm.

       She said being on duty at the PPV meant that staff members and volunteers had to deal with people from all walks of life and be prepared for various situations.

       “This includes responding politely with accurate information when asked questions such as whether showering was allowed after a vaccine injection, about the vaccine expiry date and so on,” Norshikin said.

       Dr S. Misaalini, 30, said she had to use creative approaches when administering the vaccine on people with disabilities as the special group usually needed encouragement to keep them calm.

       “Usually, about four to five medical personnel have to be present to put the person at ease.

       “I usually go to them without wearing medical gear because they tend to tense up and sometimes even get aggressive at the sight of doctors.

       “It is also quite common to administer the vaccine while sitting on the floor with them if they feel more comfortable being in that position,” said the medical officer.