PETALING JAYA: Sabah has one of the lowest vaccine registration rates in the country but a Beluran housewife is determined to change that.

Norfadzlina Ramsah (pic) goes to villages around Sandakan to convince and register folks to get the vaccine and protect themselves against Covid-19.

“It all started when a doctor friend of mine who is involved in the vaccination programme asked for my help, so I gathered my team to go on a house-to-house registration drive, ” said the founder of Beluran Hope.

Norfadzlina, 40, said the task was far from simple as not only must she travel to remote villages that lacked proper Internet connectivity, she also needed to deal with those who change their minds about the vaccine.

She said there had been cases where villagers changed their minds about getting vaccinated up to four times and there were also more hostile villagers who are not convinced that the jab could protect them.

“Sometimes, my team members get chased away because some of the villagers believed theories spewed by anti-vaxxers or other conspiracy theories they heard from friends and families.

“It’s very tiring but we still want the best for our own people, ” Norfadzlina said.

She said those who tend to change their minds were the senior citizens and every time that happened, the dose would go to someone else on the waiting list.

Norfadzlina said she did not blame those who changed their minds because their indecisiveness might be due to fear instead of stubbornness.

To gain their confidence, she shows them a picture of her elderly parents who have both been vaccinated.