The year 2021 will be another year that will go down in history. From a whopping number of COVID-19 infections, lock-downs, to the praise-worthy National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, from annual YPC events to new initiatives, it has been a roller coaster ride for all Malaysians, including us at YPC. This will be a trip down memory lane of the year 2021, one for us to be reminded of the resilient times.

COVID-19 Infections

When we thought things were under control as we greeted the new year of 2021 with an average of 1500 daily cases and lockdowns were eased during the year-end of 2020 and early 2021. But nuh-uh, the situation went downhill with ever-increasing infections and all kinds of Movement Control Orders. Every day, there was a new high but in August 2021, the COVID-19 infections in Malaysia broke their highest record with over 22k cases. It was really demotivating, depressing to see these booming numbers despite us still “duduk di rumah, stay at home.” Emergency departments and ICUs in government hospitals were exceeding their occupancy, front-liners were beyond exhaustion, medical supply and medicines stocks were running low, it was definitely a tough time for all. Approaching year-end of 2021, it seems like we can see the light of this COVID-19 tunnel, the number of cases is dropping to 4 digits, lock-downs are relaxed with people traveling domestically aka “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia”, thanks to the rapid COVID-19 vaccination rate.

COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

One of the proud moments in 2021 is to boast about is how fast the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Malaysia compared to the rest of the world and flexing our arms to show that we have been vaccinated. Beginning February 2021, front-liners were amongst the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccines followed by high-risk groups and general populations in April 2021. Adolescents were not forgotten as they started to receive the vaccine from September onwards once it was proven that the vaccine is safe for this age group. By October, over 90% of Malaysian adults and over 80% of the total population were fully vaccinated, with the highest vaccination rate of 500,000 jabs administered per day. The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme received applaud from various countries, not only for its fast rate but also for the efforts of immunization the foreigners and undocumented people in the country without any repercussion.

At the beginning of the immunization phase, there were some setbacks; limited vaccine stocks, limited knowledge on vaccines, and vaccine hesitancy amongst the healthcare professional and the public to name a few. Anti-vaxers were on the loose, Whatsapp messages of the vaccine causes death, chips inserted into bodies were forwarded countless times, resulting in the general public starting to question and hesitate to take the vaccines.

Here at YPC, we saw this as an opportunity and our professional obligation to create content and spread correct information about the COVID-19 vaccines. From debunking myths to summarizing important facts about the vaccines in infographics, our mission was to ensure our pharmacists are empowered with sufficient knowledge to educate the public with the ever-changing updates on this disease and vaccine. Our online campaign, #igotMYshot featured our young pharmacists who just had their COVID-19 vaccine to further boost the public’s confidence and acceptance of the vaccine.

MPS-YPC 2021 Highlights

Another year is down with COVID-19 and lockdowns but this did not deter us from organising our usual events, with all done virtually of course. Our annual flagship projects, MCPS, PIPI, MyCPBF, and MIHS have achieved tremendous milestones; from international speakers and participants to new event modes (Workshops, series, competitions) which attracted an average of 150-200 participants per event. Kudos to the organizing team for planning and executing out-of-box ideas resulting in successful virtual events and webinars.

Fresh, innovative initiatives were also launched this year with one ultimate goal in our mind, to empower our young pharmacists.  To name a few, these successful events include the Kontrak Ends, But Future Starts Now career engagement series, Professional Development Live Podcasts, Community PRP Empowerment sessions, Interprofessional engagements, and Sihat4u public health campaigns. From tips on embarking on new life as a PRP (our PRP FAQ series), tips on transitioning to private sectors for contract pharmacists, training our community PRPs, we have it all covered to prepare and inspire our young pharmacists. New collaborations, friendships, and networks were made with our peers in the region and internationally through AYPG and FIP-YPG, with our colleagues in other healthcare settings (dieticians, psychiatrists, psychologists, chiropractors to mention a few) and not forgetting amongst ourselves within the organization (central and national). Our presence as pharmacists being educators of the public was further solidified with over 10 Sihat4U health campaigns. The highlights were the eczema campaign that managed to engage with over 600 participants and the World Heart Day 2021 – Care for Your Heart Virtual Running and Walking Contest with over 3.5k engagements.

Our efforts in championing contract pharmacists further heightened this year with our participation in the #CodeBlackMY campaign with other contract healthcare professionals. Articles and posters on the differences between the contract system and its impact together with confessions from PF41(K) helped to shed some light on how the contract system can also affect our young pharmacists workforce, the overall pharmacy service, and the public healthcare system in the future. Resulting from this campaign, the government announced that few changes will be made to the contract system with no news on offering more permanent positions. Some may say it is a small win, some may disagree, nevertheless, we at YPC will continue to champion for our contract pharmacists in the following year.

Phew, I can say that 2021 is no doubt another year to remember. Despite all the limitations and uncertainties in the current situation and life, we managed to pull it off this year and end it with a bang. Like the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, we should make lemonade. Let’s continue to march in to 2022 with new vision and goals to further strengthen our pharmacist profession. By young pharmacists, for young pharmacists.