SIBU, June 17 — The Agape Centre will run a second phase of Covid-19 vaccinations to accommodate more people with special needs, said paediatrician Dr Toh Teck Hock.

The Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu secretary and Agape Centre vaccination coordinator said many of those registered with the centre could not get a slot this time.

"We are still preparing it and hopefully 800 people will be included in the second phase. We still have some people registered in Agape Centre that are unable to do it this time, including the hearing impaired and those in the spinal cord injury association.

"These organisations did not manage to reach them in time, so they will be included in the second phase,” he told reporters today.

Dr Toh said there are some 7,000 people registered with Lau King Howe Memorial Clinic at Agape Centre, of whom around 700 are 18 and above.

Methodist Care Centre chairman Soon Kong Tiong said around 160 adults under the centre and their parents would be receiving their vaccination.

For Special Olympics, about 50 athletes and their family members are also registered for vaccination.

Dr Toh said it is important to support those with special needs, especially autism or any intellectual disabilities, by creating a friendly vaccination centre environment to keep them calm and enable the vaccination process to go smoothly.

"When we design the vaccination centre, we want to consider them, we do need to make sure that the place is not too noisy, not too crowded.

"So picking a vaccination centre is not as easy as some people think, some people (disabled) might be able to tolerate that (unfamiliar environment), but we might have people who are not able to tolerate and if we do not that factor in, it will become a hurdle for them to come,” he pointed out.

Soon added holding vaccinations at the centre is important for those with special needs as they are familiar with the staff there.

"This friendly environment is important to them as it helps them and to prevent them from getting stressed out when receiving the vaccine,” he said.

Sibu Autistic Association (SAA) president David Ngu shared how some disabled refused to be vaccinated due to fear, requiring teachers to calm them down.

"This is why a familiar environment, familiar people must be provided for these people so that the vaccines can be administered to them,” he said.

A total of 750 members with special needs and their parents are scheduled to be vaccinated at the centre during this phase of vaccinations, which runs until tomorrow (June 18). — Borneo Post Online