Many find vaccine registration process an unpleasant experience

PETALING JAYA: Relieved, happy, frustrated, and angry, are some of the words used by Malaysians aged below 60 to describe their experience when trying to get a slot for the second round of the AstraZeneca vaccine opt-in registration.

Content creator Hafiz Hadi, 37, from Shah Alam whose multiple attempts bore fruit after he clicked on the “submit” button repeatedly for over 15 minutes.

“Not wanting to waste time, I just clicked on a random date once I got through.

“I only remember clicking and acknowledging the pages because I was worried about getting stuck after seeing so many friends who were unsuccessful, ” he said, adding that it felt surreal seeing the “thank you” page.

Hafiz, however, said he could not remember the date of his appointment, as everything happened too fast.

“I’ll wait for the SMS or MySejahtera update within 48 hours, ” he said, adding that the government could be more prepared for a system glitch as it was not the first time they used it for vaccine opt-in based on a first-come, first-served basis.

“They could have had a dry run a few days before the day, or open up the opt-in in stages for different states if they can’t handle the massive requests on their website, ” he added.

Luqman Mohd Hatta was another lucky person who managed to get a slot for the AstraZeneca vaccine when it was opened to those below 60 years yesterday, but not without some hurdles.

“It was not a pleasant experience and I think many would agree with me on that, ” said the 39-year-old ecosystem development manager.

Describing it as an anxiety-ridden hour, he said, he refreshed both his laptop and mobile phone when the site wouldn’t properly load the page to show the list of available appointment dates.

He even tried the process on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers and was finally able to complete his registration using the latter.

Luqman said the registration problem could have been due to the system crashing from a heavy load, which could have been avoided if it was done in phases based on the applicant’s age and location.

“The technical team needs to relook the portal’s whole architecture. There must have been something wrong with the scheduler function which prevented real-time updates, ” he said.

A lorry driver who only wants to be known as ND from Kota Damansara said the adrenaline rush when registering for a slot was unforgettable.

“I felt compelled to register myself for this after seeing other family members who got jabbed in the first round were fine with it.

“I’m happy that I managed to register within 10 minutes of logging in, ” he said.

ND, who is in his 40s, said both his parents, who are above 60, registered several days ago when the opt-in was opened for senior citizens.

“I’m looking forward to my appointment on July 6 at Universiti Malaya. I just can’t wait to pose for a ‘I have been vaccinated’ photo and make it my online profile picture, ” he added.

Edwin Lim, 52, was not as lucky but was happy that his wife managed to register.

He almost got his chance when he was brought to the page to select his appointment but was unceremoniously kicked out of the registration page.

“It took me about 45 minutes to get there only to start the whole process again and by that time, I couldn’t even go through the site requesting for my state, ” he said, adding that he would just have to wait his turn through the MySejahtera app.

Elizabeth Tan, 40, said she managed to get through with the assistance of two friends.

“I tried numerous times but I did not get in as the appointment dates for the states did not appear no matter how many times I tried.

“My friends helped me register. I am very fortunate, ” the senior manager said.

A 29-year-old woman, who only wanted to be known as Karen, was disappointed that she could not register.

“It was a hard battle. I tried using my tablet, laptop, mobile phone, but all were unsuccessful.

“The next thing I knew, I was back on the main page and the website did not allow me to register for the vaccine anymore.

“A friend told me that the vaccines have all been taken up. I am really angry actually because firstly the registration did not open on time at noon, ” she said.

“It got delayed and by 1.30pm it had the cheek to tell me it was full.

“I believe the government can come up with a better system, this is the third time they had opened the registration for AstraZeneca and there are still glitches. Did they not learn from their past experiences?”

The freelancer added that there would not have been a rush for the AstraZeneca vaccine if the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme was done quickly and effectively.