Those vaccinated include Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s oldest recipient at 96.

Today, FMT takes a closer look at what the vaccination programme entails, when you can get it, and what you’re actually getting when you get your jab.

The Basics:

All vaccines work through the same underlying principle: by producing an immune response similar to that triggered when infected by the real disease-causing pathogen. This trains the body to produce certain antibodies to combat a particular disease should the body be exposed to it in the future.

The Vaccines:

Malaysia has procured vaccines from a variety of sources, and each works in slightly different ways and has unique properties that make it suited to certain situations. As data is still very preliminary at this stage, some information is approximate and subject to change as testing continues.

Pfizer (Efficacy: ~95%, two doses three weeks apart):

• How it works: It relies on mRNA technology, which teaches your cells to produce a harmless piece of the “spike protein” that is found on the surface of the virus that causes Covid-19. This small fragment triggers an immune response, and the body becomes better able to fight off the virus should it enter the body.
• Side effects: Some recipients report pain, redness, swelling or a combination around the injection site, as well as tiredness, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fever, nausea, or a combination.

Sinovac (Efficacy: >50%, two doses two weeks apart):

• How it works: Uses real viral particles that have been killed and introduces them to the body to produce an immune response. Since the particles are not alive, there is no serious risk of developing the disease.
• Side effects: Pain at injection site and fever.

AstraZeneca (Efficacy: ~65%, two doses four weeks apart):

• How it works: Based on viral vector technology, AstraZeneca’s vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus taken from chimps. Modified to resemble the coronavirus, it causes the body to create effective antibodies.
• Side effects: Some recipients report pain, redness, swelling or a combination around the injection site, as well as tiredness, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fever, nausea, or a combination.

Gamaleya Institute (Efficacy: ~90%, two doses three weeks apart):

• How it works: Much like AstraZeneca’s, it is based on viral vector technology, and uses a benign version of a virus that typically causes respiratory infections. This contains a piece of the “spike protein” in order to trigger an immune response. Unlike other two dose vaccines which use the same formulation twice, Sputnik V’s second dose uses a slightly different virus as a carrier, which they say leads to longer lasting immunity.
• Side effects?: Some recipients report pain, redness, swelling or a combination around the injection site, as well as tiredness, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fever, nausea, or a combination.

CanSino (Efficacy: ~65%, one dose):

• How it works: Similar to Gamaleya and AstraZeneca, this vaccine uses a harmless viral vector to expose the body to components of the virus in order to build immunity.
• Side effects?: No severe side effects reported at the moment, but as is the case with many of these vaccines, trials are still in process.

At the moment, vaccine availability is subject to an area’s ability to store it, and Malaysians will not get a say in what they receive.

Not everyone is eligible to be vaccinated. Currently, only those above the age of 18 are being considered, although this is subject to change pending trial results.

“Those who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated,” said Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy, adding that the “vaccination also benefits others – those too young to get vaccinated, those medically unfit for vaccination and those with poor immune function”.

He said while some concern over adverse effects was understandable, people must remember that these instances were rare.

“They should listen to the advice of experts, who consider the risk benefit ratio. So far, the benefits of the vaccines far outweigh the risks.”

Authorities assure that Covid-19 vaccines have been subject to the same checks, balances, and scientific and regulatory processes as any other vaccine, and that they have proven to be safe despite the speed with which they were developed.

Detailed information on the rollout schedule can be found HERE, but in brief, the vaccination programme will be broken down into three phases based on risk level. Frontliners will be first, then people in high risk groups, and finally everyone else.

Those interested in the vaccine can sign up through the MySejahtera app, which was recently updated to include the steps involved in the process. When it is your turn to be vaccinated, you will be notified and instructed on where to go to receive it.

There is also a hotline, which can be reached at 1800-888-828 and a website, vaksincovid.gov.my.

Manual registration can also be carried out at public and private health facilities, as well as via door-to-door outreach programmes targeting the elderly in rural areas.

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