KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The proposed guidelines for individuals who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine should be clear and consistent to protect the health and safety of employees and the public.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman (pic) said the guidelines should also include proper standard operating procedures (SOP) because there is no guarantee that those who completed both doses would be fully protected against Covid-19.
“Based on the experiences of other countries, fully vaccinated individuals are allowed to move freely, and those who get infected suffer less severely. They do not require intensive care and do not overburden the public health system.
“But there is no clinical evidence (yet) to show that those who received two doses of the vaccine would be free from Covid-19... (because of) mutations and emergence of new and more virulent variants," he said in a statement on Monday (July 12).
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba had said recently he would present proposed guidelines for those who have completed vaccination to the National Security Council (NSC).
Syed Hussain said MEF is concerned for the safety and health of all employees, including those who are vaccinated, and proposed that the government establish a platform to record, monitor and report any adverse events.
He said the authorities should ensure that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and related guidelines include awareness programmes on the benefits and risks of vaccination.
This, he said, would be in accordance with the rights of the individual, professional medical ethics and the legal principles of informed consent.
“The lives of the rakyat must be held sacred and be protected. Putting in place such interventions would also help validate vaccine safety and efficacy, and dispel rumours and fake news.
“We are of the view that the proposed guidelines for those who received two vaccine doses should be subjected to SOPs and should not discriminate individuals who have not yet received two doses to avoid human rights violations, legal complications and negative social control policies,” he said.
MEF also urged the authorities to involve industry stakeholders, medical practitioners, as well as experts in other fields in the formulation of the SOPs to ensure their practicality and effectiveness.
“There has to be collective responsibility among stakeholders to deal effectively with Covid-19. We hope the guidelines would be standardised, clear and without variations to avoid confusion among both employers and employees.
“There should only be one policy for the proposed guidelines under one agency to handle all the queries,” he added. – Bernama
