The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will begin from Feb 26, where PM and frontliners will receive the vaccine on the 1st day
by AFIQ AZIZ / pic by BLOOMBERG
MALAYSIA will begin its national vaccination programme five days after getting the first batch of the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine on Feb 21, said Prime Minister (PM) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin said the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will begin in phases from Feb 26, where he will receive the vaccine on the first day, together with the frontliners.
“This comprehensive programme is aimed at ensuring herd immunity in the community, so that we can stop the spread of Covid-19 infections and bring an end to the pandemic,” Muhyiddin said during the launch of the vaccination programme’s handbook yesterday.
The first phase of the immunisation programme from Feb 26 until April will involve the frontliners, followed by the second phase in April until August, for the highrisk groups.
Muhyiddin said for the third phase, which is from May this year until February next year, is for those aged 18 and above.
The government sets to reach 70% of the 32 million of the country’s population to be vaccinated, which will allow the economy to fully restart as a result of herd immunity in the whole community.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines, to be transported by the national flag carrier’s cargo arm, MASkargo, will bring 312,390 doses of the vaccine to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before it can be sorted and sent to various vaccine storage sites around the country.
Muhyiddin reminded the importance of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to protect all people in the country, in line with its handbook theme — “Protect Oneself, Protect Everyone”. The handbook provides information on the immunisation programme’s policy.
“The vaccination is very important for us to protect not only ourselves but also our loved ones, namely family members, co-workers, neighbours and the whole community,” said Muhyiddin.
He added that when everybody is protected and the vaccination programme is successfully implemented, it will have a positive impact, including enabling the economic and tourism sectors to reopen.
Muhyiddin also advised the people to not delay the registration for the vaccination and to adhere to the allocated doses.
The PM said those receiving the Covid-19 vaccine will be screened first to determine their suitability — including the checks on their medical history and allergies before receiving the jab.
This, he said, is to ensure that individuals who are not suited to receive the vaccine will not be injected.
“After a recipient has been given the vaccine, monitoring will take place for 15 to 30 minutes at the vaccination centre, before the recipient is allowed to return home.
“This is to ensure that there are no serious allergic reactions after they have received the vaccine, ” he said, as reported by a local daily.
The PM said the Covid-19 vaccines may cause mild side effects, such as swelling or soreness at the injection site, but recipients should be able to recover.
The government has allocated RM3 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccine for up to 70% of the country’s population or 22.4 million people.
Read our previous report here
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