KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) has received reports that media personnel from an agency here have been vaccinated for Covid-19 amid growing discontent over queue jumpers and slow delivery of vaccines.
Its president Farah Marshita Abdul Patah said she received a tip-off last week.
"I got a lead from someone saying that media personnel from an organisation have been vaccinated. I cross checked this with a journalist from the agency and learnt that he had his jab alongside others.
"We are extremely disappointed over this as there appears to be leakages in the system."
Farah Marshita said media personnel were waiting to get clarity on when frontliners in their field would be vaccinated.
She said NUJ had submitted a list of practitioners' names in March.
"However, we are still waiting for a reply."
Farah Marshita said it was only reasonable for media personnel on the frontlines to get their jabs due to the nature of their jobs and the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
"We have been recognised as frontliners just like uniformed officers from government agencies. As such we hope that the Health Ministry takes this matter seriously and vaccinates media personnel as soon as possible."
On April 12, National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin said members of the media would be put on the priority list.
"But like I said, there is a supply problem. When we have enough, we will include them," he had said.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba also said that the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force supports the idea as media personnel were equivalent to frontliners.