The Covid-19 pandemic is at the forefront of global issues, and it is the main actor in the suffering of present-day world. Communities all around the world are feeling the adverse effects of this virus, be it in business or in health. It is safe to say that no one is safe from its clutches. The global community is taking a massive hit, and this virus is impeding on the progression of the human race as a whole.

However, there is an inkling of hope. The Covid-19 vaccine has been released in batches due to the accelerated rate in which it was developed. Governments around the world, including the Malaysian Government, are scampering to procure this vaccine for its people to help lessen the impact that this virus has on local communities. However, acquiring the vaccine is one thing, distributing it to the people in Malaysia is another.

The government faces one major problem in the distribution of the vaccine, which is the number of registrations. Due to the hasty nature of which the Covid-19 vaccine was developed, some people still have reservations of its safety and its efficacy, which has led to an underwhelming number of registrations to take the vaccine. These hesitations, although reasonable, does pose a challenge for the government in the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine. Thus, the efficiency of our country in dealing with this virus will also be affected.

What is a vaccine? In Layman’s terms, it is a weakened version of a virus that is engineered to be dealt with by our body. A vaccine works by eliminating the weakened virus and “memorizing” it, giving our body the means to deal with and eliminate any future similar viruses that enter our systems. Knowing this, people should be assured that vaccines will not cause any biological defects to us. A weakened version of a virus cannot cause changes in DNA or our biological construct.

However, there is indeed a risk for allergic reactions to compounds in the vaccine. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, occurred at a rate of 2.5 cases per 1 million shots administered. As of 10 January 2021, there were 10 cases of anaphylaxis reported among 4.04 million people who have received their first doses of Moderna’s two-shot vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends that anyone who has had allergic reactions to compounds in previous vaccines should be wary of the compounds found in the version of the vaccine that they are taking. Otherwise, the rate of allergic reactions is slim to none. A 15 minute 15 minutes of monitoring is also encouraged immediately after the vaccination, just to make sure no immediate allergic reactions occur.

All these being said, there have been no reports of deaths directly related to taking the Covid-19 vaccine. The facility in which the vaccine is administered filled with medical professionals and emergency care units who will be available at a moment’s notice to help anyone facing issues after taking the vaccine; the safety of the recipients is guaranteed. Unless the person is facing underlying health issues or have had allergic reactions to vaccines taken before, there should be no issues when taking the Covid-19 vaccine.

There still is the question of why the vaccine was developed so quickly. While some vaccines take years, even decades, to produce, the Covid-19 vaccine was produced in a matter of months. It is true that the highest priority was given to the development of the Covid-19 vaccine, and the latest technological equipment was used. But, one thing that stayed a constant was the rigorous testing that various medical institutions conducted. Development is one thing, making sure it is safe is another. Although the means of its creation can be altered and improved, the means of testing it can only become more and more rigorous and strict.

Before a vaccine can be released to the public it must go through various stages of testing and clinical trials, each stage ensuring that no issue is left unfiltered. After it is created, the results of the tests must be verified by multiple medical bodies before it is considered safe to be released to the public. Even so, Malaysia’s own Ministry of Health will carry out another check to ensure the quality of the vaccines before it is purchased. It is true that the vaccine was invented fairly quickly, and there are undeniable doubts in its creation. However the checks and balances that various institutions have placed after its creation should assure anyone of the quality of the vaccine. For, no matter how fast it is created, without the approval of these institutions, no medicine can be released to the public.

With all this being said, first and foremost as a citizen of Malaysia, as a youth in this country, I do feel that it is everyone’s obligation to take the vaccine. The severity of the situation does in fact require swift action from all parties. By taking the vaccine, one is not only caring for the health of oneself, but the health of others as well. By gaining immunity, you can also prevent yourself from becoming a vector of disease. In other words, the virus will be unable to use you as a means to spread itself to other people. Because the virus is highly contagious, being immune will greatly help in reducing its spread. Not only that, but once the safety and health of the people is guaranteed, we can start working on the recovery of the economy. The suffering caused by the pandemic and the movement control order is immeasurable, felt especially by the B40 families. The faster we return to normalcy, the faster we are able to revert back to a productive society, and then we can start easing the burden of those who have been worse for wear during this trying time.

The Covid-19 vaccine is our light at the end of this dark tunnel. It is a glimmer of hope and it is the start of the end of this nightmare. I am sure that we have all had our fill of this strenuous situation, and we are eager to end this as soon as possible. So, it is time to throw away our irrational fears, and stop listening to those that wish to sow chaos, especially at this critical juncture. The priority of everyone is to get through this intact, and self-centeredness will only lead to the continuous suffering of everyone. I hope this passage has helped in some way, be it lifting some of your worries about receiving the vaccine, or even maybe changing your mind about taking it in the first place.

Pang Xing Yu
Intern