The state counsellor warned that it was still too early to relax vigilance against the coronavirus
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi warned the public on Wednesday not to become reckless just because Myanmar has started to receive does of a vaccine for Covid-19.
“We’re concerned that people will stop caring much. Yes, the vaccines are rolling in, but we still have to wait,” she said.
“If our country was producing it, we could make as many as we wanted. But we have to import it from another country, and everyone’s trying to get it. We won’t get as many as we want immediately,” she added.
She made the remarks as she was observed the first round of vaccinations at the Nurse Training School in Naypyitaw, where she also noted that healthcare workers have been given priority to receive the vaccines.
Asked by Myanmar Now if she had any message for people who are concerned about taking the vaccine, she said there were no dire side effects.
“It’s only natural to be concerned because it’s a new experience. There may be side effects, but they aren’t too bad. There are side effects even with normal vaccines, like muscle aches and fever,” she said.
She added that people who have received the vaccine would be kept for about half an hour for observation.
“In this timeframe, we’ll see if any side effects show up. We won’t send them back immediately, everyone will stay for thirty more minutes and see what happens,” she said.
Dr Myint Htwe, the minister for health and sports, was among those vaccinated at the Nurse Training School.
“It doesn’t hurt, not even as much as an ant bite. After getting the vaccine, there are do’s and dont’s. No one knows how effective it is even after getting the second dose 28 days later. The studies are still underway, so we must still be careful,” he told reporters.
Myanmar received about 1.5 million doses of the Covidshield vaccine as a gift from India on January 22. The vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India under license from British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
The vaccine is taken in two doses four weeks apart, and the second dose should be taken without fail at the designated place and date, the Ministry of Health and Sports announced.
The ministry also urged people to continue to practice social distancing and wear masks even after getting vaccinated.
About 750,000 people will get vaccinated first, including healthcare workers, central government members and parliamentary members.
While the first consignment was donated by the Indian government, the Myanmar government has also bought $150m worth of the vaccine, enough for 15 million people, President’s Office spokesperson Zaw Htay said, adding that the additional doses are expected to arrive early next month.
There were more than 130,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Myanmar as of January 26. A majority of patients have recovered, while 3,082 deaths have been reported.
A nationwide inoculation program is expected to begin on February 5. Government members will receive their vaccines together with the public.
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