BY Izah Azahari
Over 800 individuals have been administered the COVID-19 vaccine, be it the second, third or fourth doses, as well as for those aged five to 11 taking their first or second doses since the vaccination drive began at the Berakas Health Centre.
This was revealed by two team leaders of the Berakas Health Centre Vaccination Programme, Muhammad Zariful Hanafi bin Haji Abdull Rahim and Siti Azimah @ Sofiayana binti Haji Md Yahya, in an interview with the Bulletin on Tuesday.
“The turnout has been great and I’m pleasantly surprised by the number as it was unexpected but also good for us,” said Muhammad Zariful Hanafi, adding that he hopes the programme will once again reach a 70-per-cent vaccination rate to allow the Sultanate to be well-protected against the virus.
Following the official closure of the Indoor Stadium Vaccination Centre on July 1, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme began vaccine administration at three health centres in Brunei-Muara District: Berakas Health Centre in RPN Kampong Lambak Kanan, Pengkalan Batu Health Centre and Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah (PAPHRSB) Health Centre in Kampong Sungai Asam.
The leaders said the vaccination operations at the health centre have been smooth-sailing despite minor hiccups on the first day as the setting is not the same as that at the Indoor Stadium.
“As this progresses, we will have to improve it from time to time. It’s a good challenge to mitigate the situation as it is all about strategies in handling these kinds of things,” they added.
With a good team at the health centre, the programme has not disrupted other operations.
The team leaders said labelled seatings have also been prepared to divide those who are there for vaccination from those coming for other matters.
The daily capacity at the Berakas Health Centre for vaccination is 660 with walk-ins and appointment bookings welcome, although making an appointment via the BruHealth app is encouraged as walk-in slots are limited on busy days.
“We welcome senior citizens, people with special needs and pregnant women as they have been prioritised. Those with no history of non-communicable diseases are welcome to get their second booster provided there is a five-month interval between the two boosters.”
Syairazi Hazazi bin Haji Mat Sarudin, 19, said the rising number of cases drove him to take the second booster, especially since he is exposed to a lot of people.
“It’s a necessary precaution. I also have high blood pressure, which makes me high risk as well,” he said. He was there with his parents who had also taken their second booster doses.
Ampuan Haji Mohd Yaasin bin Ampuan Salleh, 80, said he wanted to take the second booster for health reasons as he is in the high-risk category due to his age. “Taking care of one’s health is very important. It is good to prevent COVID-19 from spreading through vaccination,” he said, adding that the rest of his family has also taken their COVID-19 vaccines.
Operational hours for the Berakas Health Centre, RPN Lambak Kanan from Monday to Thursday and Saturday is from 8am to 11.30am and 1.45pm to 4pm, and additional operational hours every Friday and Sunday from 2pm to 8pm.
For Pengkalan Batu Health Centre and PAPHRSB Health Centre, Kampong Sungai Asam, operational hours are from 8am to 11.30am and 1.45pm to 4pm every Monday to Thursday and Saturday.
The public is advised to make reservations via the BruHealth app.
-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin