The government will begin the rollout of the COVID-19 National Immunisation Programme at the end of February.
Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said 26.5 million people will be immunised in the biggest-ever vaccination exercise in the country…
…and the best part is, it will be FREE for Malaysians!
The vaccine will be distributed in three phases:
Phase 1 – Frontliners
Some 500,000 frontline staff will be immunised in this phase which is scheduled to end by April.
This phase is important to protect our healthcare workers, who have a crucial role to play in the fight against COVID-19.
Phase 2- High-risk groups
Photo via NST
A total of 9.4 million people in this group will receive the vaccine from April until August.
Included in this group are senior citizens, vulnerable individuals with comorbidities and disabled persons.
Phase 3 – Adults above the age of 18
The rest of the country will be immunised concurrently, with the second phase starting May until February 2022.
There’s also a possibility this might end sooner than planned, if all goes well.
This phase is important to help develop herd immunity that will allow us to control the pandemic.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin will be in charge of the COVID-19 immunisation coordination.
More than 600 vaccine distribution centres will be opened throughout Malaysia.
The government will be converting public and private health facilities, as well as stadiums, convention centres, community halls, and universities for this purpose.
More details on the programme’s registration process and centre locations will be announced soon.
Stay safe, everyone!
by Roshini Ravindran
