By Associate Professor Dr Hazreen Abdul Majid

Densely populated housing areas like low-cost housing complexes or People's Housing Projects (PPR), where most of the individuals are from the Bottom 40% (B40) income group are most venerable in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

They have a higher risk of getting the disease and transmitting to other as it is difficult for them to have physical distancing.

The COVID-19 infections in Malaysia continue to increase and the healthcare system is at its brink.

On Sunday (Aug 8), we registered more than 18,688 new COVID-19 cases, increasing the total cases to 1,262,540. There were 360 new death cases.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination, in conjunction with other public health initiatives, is the most effective strategy to protect oneself and reduce infection rates.

It is important to get the PPR residents vaccinated, and no one, especially those in vulnerable groups, should be left behind.

The University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) is one the special Vaccine Administration Centers (VACs) assisting the government with the implementation of the National COVID-19 Immunization Program. It started with the Phase 1 program back in March 2021.

Having vaccinated all of the healthcare workers and patients in UMMC, and some residents from surrounding areas in Phases 1 and 2, the team recognizes the importance of assisting the vulnerable to get vaccinated.

We identify three PPR housing areas in Kuala Lumpur to be part of our community outreach program.

About 260 residents from the three PPRs have been assisted for the COVID-19 vaccination program at UMMC over the past three weeks.

Those who are unable to commute from PPRs to the PPUM vaccination center will commute here by bus via a collaboration with Mass Rapid Transportation Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRTC).

This is a proactive approach to accelerate the National COVID-19 Immunization Program, allowing the people of Kuala Lumpur from selected PPRs to acquire the vaccine quickly and effectively.

In addition, we hope we can continue to provide and assist in order to lessen the burden faced by people particularly in B40 and urban poverty groups, who are affected by the Movement Control Order's (MCO) implementation.

We are delighted to be a part of the government's effort to combat COVID-19, and during this pandemic, all stakeholders must come together to assist whoever we can.

By consolidating the effort, it is hoped that we will pull through this together.

(Associate Professor Dr Hazreen Abdul Majid, committee member for Phase 2 UMMC vaccination group and Head of Center for Population Health, Universiti Malaya. Phase 2 UMMC group is led by Puan Chew Yee Yean, Deputy Director (Professional Services) UMMC and co-chaired by Associate Professor Dr Dr Sharifah Faridah Syed Omar.)