By: Shaza Al Muzayen
KUALA LUMPUR, August 22 (Bernama) -- With a new highly-mutated COVID-19 variant on the rise, it has become more important than ever for Malaysians to improve their health literacy.
Oscar-winning actress Tan Sri Seri Michelle Yeoh recently shared her experience battling the virus during the launch of a public education health campaign called MyPELINDUNG.
“I’ve personally contracted COVID-19 twice. The first time was in 2021 and that was most unfortunate because it was during the premiere of my movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, in Los Angeles.
“The second time I got it was earlier this year, but it was just a mild flu – it came and went very quickly. Had I not had my vaccine and booster shots the effects would have been much worse,” said the 61-year-old actress during the campaign’s launch on Aug 17.
MyPELINDUNG is a public educational campaign that aims to guide Malaysian society into becoming a better informed and healthier nation. It seeks to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 in the country through increasing awareness on the importance of having up to date vaccinations and practising prompt COVID-19 specific treatment seeking behaviour.
This includes efforts to dispel myths on the COVID-19 virus, its vaccination process and addressing the hesitancy surrounding the acceptance of booster doses.
The MyPELINDUNG campaign is particularly focused on high-risk groups – those aged 60 and older, have chronic health conditions like cancer and diabetes, or are affected by lifestyle factors such as having a smoking habit or being overweight.
The campaign is the result of a joint collaboration between the Malaysian Society of Infection Control and Infectious Diseases (MyICID), the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM), the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRCS) and Pfizer Malaysia.
Also present at the launch were National Chairperson of the MRCS Tunku Temenggong Kedah Datuk Seri DiRaja Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, Deputy Director-General of the Health Ministry Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli, MyICID president Dr Shaharudeen Kamaludeen, NCSM president Datuk Dr Saunthani Somasundaram and Country Cluster Lead of Pfizer Malaysia, Pakistan and Brunei Luksanawan Tangpaibool.
-- BERNAMA