THE call for mandatory vaccination is being mulled by the Federal Government. It will be a tough decision, definitely not the easiest path to embark on by the authorities, but several Penangites interviewed by Buletin Mutiara stood firm that it should be made compulsory.
PDC Telecommunications Services Sdn Bhd chief executive officer P. Ayappan Pappu Pillay said vaccination should be made compulsory in order to contain further spread of the Covid-19 infections on a large scale.
“I have already received my first jab and now waiting for the second one next week. If you ask me, I would definitely agree for it to be made compulsory because the cases keep increasing daily.
“Long gone are the days where our country would only record below two-digit cases. Now, we easily mark four-digit cases a day.
“This is very worrying, and I feel being vaccinated is our best and last resort for now.
“After being inoculated (first dose), I did not experience any symptoms and am perfectly fine until today, thank God,” Ayappan told Buletin Mutiara during a phone interview today.
Another individual, Nur Izzati Mohamad, a media practitioner, said she agrees if the Federal Government decides to make vaccination compulsory, and that it should have been done earlier to prevent widespread of new Covid-19 cases.
“It is not too late; the authorities should act fast and make it compulsory.
“But if it ever happens, it is important to ensure it doesn’t jeopardise the people’s mental health as well as their jobs,” Izzati said.
She also urged the Health Ministry and other immediate bodies directly involved in the vaccination programme to speed up efforts of inoculating more people to reach the targeted herd immunity by the end of October.
Meanwhile, college student Muhamad Hakim Azmi said if vaccination is made compulsory, the government needs to consider rewarding the people in ways that can be beneficial for them.
“For example, once an individual has received both doses, he or she should be lifted off the inter-state/district travel restrictions.
“This way, the government could possibly receive better response from the public if vaccination is made compulsory,” Hakim said.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Law Suun Ting