Two-week preparation for frontliners in immunisation programme pays off

JOHOR BAHRU, March 1  -- Two weeks of thorough preparation has helped the staff of Johor Bahru District Health Office to ensure the first day of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme in Johor proceeded smoothly.

Its chief nurse Badariah Mohd Khalid said the two-week training included the injection method and the type of vaccine to be taken.

Badariah was today selected as the nurse to dispense the vaccine shot to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Ir Hasni Mohammad, at the launch of the programme.

"Thanks to the briefing and the two-week preparation, I was not nervous at all. From the beginning, we (health workers) were told how the vaccine shot would be given and what type of vaccine would be taken," she said when met by reporters at the event.

Assisted by Norazrina Johari, a nurse at the Kempas Health Clinic, she said there was no difference when giving injections to high-ranking officials or ordinary folks because the injection technique is the same.

Hasni led 35,100 frontline staff of the Ministry of Health and other government agencies in the state to take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shot in stages in the first phase.

Also taking the vaccine shots today were Johor health director Datuk Dr Aman Rabu and Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

A nurse at the Sultan Ismail Health Clinic, Nur Hijah Hidayah Jalil, 27, felt the COVID-19 vaccination is vital to curb the spread of the pandemic.

"We took all steps recommended by the government not only for personal protection, but also for the community.  After all, even the Prime Minister and Dr. Noor Hisham also took the shot," she said.

--BERNAMA