Tarmizi and Tamby pose for the camera after Tamby was vaccinated at the Sibu Indoor Stadium.
SIBU (April 19): Tarmizi Tamby could barely contain his happiness at seeing his father joining some 900 senior citizens who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Sibu Indoor Stadium today.
“It is like the best birthday present ever although my birthday was last month,” the 35-year-old told reporters as he struggled to hold back tears of joy.
Tarmizi, who works at the Nangka Service Centre, was met when accompanying his father Tamby Sulaiman, 85, for the vaccination.
He said they received the notification about the vaccination two weeks ago and he was greatly relieved that his father was among the firsts in Sarawak to be immunised in the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccine roll out.
“When my father completes his second dose of vaccination, it will lessen our worries as my father is in the elderly group. We are very thankful that the vaccination can help reduce the risk of infection,” he said.
Tarmizi hoped that other Sarawakians who have yet to register for the vaccination programme would do so promptly as there was a need to create herd immunity against the virus.
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Tamby, meanwhile, said he was looking forward to receiving his second dose to complete his vaccination.
“Well, to me, it is just like a normal injection. I did not feel anything,” said the former government servant when asked if it was painful being injected with the vaccine.
A total of 924 senior citizens aged 75 and above were called up for the vaccination in Sibu today. They will receive their second dose of the vaccine in three weeks time.
Chian (seated) posing with Ting (right) and Senator Robert Lau at the vaccination centre at Sibu Indoor Stadium.
Another recipient of the vaccine today was eighty-seven-year-old, Chian Lilian, the mother of Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting.
Sharing her experience with reporters, Chian, who was seen being accompanied by Ting to the vaccination centre, said it was a painless experience.
“Well, it is just like normal vaccination. I didn’t feel anything. But I was quite excited when I was about to come to the vaccination center here. After I got here, I was not that excited anymore,” she said calmly.
Chian was administered with the vaccine at 8.55am and asked to rest for about half an hour.
Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) coordinator, Dr Annuar Rapaee, also told reporters when met at the centre that the second phase was strictly for senior citizens and people with disabilities (OKU).
The vaccination today started from 8am and will end at 5pm.