State Counsellor Inspects COVID-19 Vaccination for Healthcare Personnel in Nay Pyi Taw

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in her capacity as Chairperson of the National-Level Committee on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), inspected and gave encouragement to healthcare workers being given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.

She was welcomed by Union Ministers U Min Thu and Dr Myint Htwe, Deputy Minister Dr Mya Lay Sein and officials at the Midwifery Training School (Nay Pyi Taw), and heard reports from the healthcare workers on the various aspects of the vaccination programme such as the vaccination process, record keeping of the vaccination process and reporting process.

While observing health personnel being given the Covishield vaccination, the State Counsellor, the Union Ministers and the Deputy Minister, a briefing was given by Professor Dr Kyaw Kyaw Oo regarding the preparations being made to provide emergency healthcare at the vaccination centres.

In response to a request from the media if she wished to say anything to the people about the COVID-19 vaccination programme the State Counsellor said that although it was true that the Covishield vaccine was already available in Myanmar that does not mean that vaccination could be given to everyone immediately at the same time; therefore vigilance must not be relaxed at present. She said she was worried that some people might become a little careless. If the vaccines could be produced in Myanmar it would be possible to use as much as needed; at present, as the vaccines had to be imported from another country, it was not possible to purchase as much as the country needed. That was why she wanted the people to be vigilant; as the infection rate was now on the decline, she wanted this rate of decline to be maintained. It was natural that the people were feeling anxious about getting vaccinated as they did not have prior experience. She added that it would be necessary for those receiving vaccinations to wait about half an hour and to leave the vaccination site only after they felt sure that they were feeling all right.

Next, the State Counsellor gave encouragement to two women health workers who were receiving their first dose of the vaccine and other health personnel who had come to receive their vaccination shots.

It was learnt that before giving the Covishield vaccination, healthcare workers took body temperature, blood pressure and the oxygen level in the bloodstream was measured. The vaccination was given only if all the above measurements were found to be normal. Those who had received the vaccination would have to receive a second dose of the vaccine after 28 days.

Some side-effects of the vaccine include pain, redness or swelling, fever, headache, but these symptoms normally disappear within 24 hours after the vaccination. If the symptoms increased, rather than decreasing, or other severe symptoms appeared, the vaccinated persons have been advised to receive medical treatments at the nearby hospitals and clinics.

Beginning from the morning, health personnel and volunteers were being given Covishield vaccinations on a nationwide scale at central-level hospitals, region and state hospitals, district hospitals and township hospitals. Over 3,800 health personnel from the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory are receiving their vaccinations at designated places and at the respective township hospitals.—MNA (Translated by Aung Khin)