Malaysia will get its initially batch of COVID-19 vaccines made by U.S. and German drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech on Feb. 21, and kick off its inoculation drive 5 days right after that, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin mentioned on Tuesday.
Muhyiddin mentioned he will be the initially to get a dose of the vaccine when the campaign begins on Feb. 26.
“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 mentioned at the launch of the vaccination programme handbook.
Malaysia has noticed a sharp spike in coronavirus infections in current weeks, right after possessing largely reined in the epidemic for most of 2020. It has reported a total of more than 260,000 COVID-19 instances, the third-highest in Southeast Asia right after Indonesia and the Philippines, and 975 deaths.
The Southeast Asian nation has mentioned it aims to cover at least 80% of its 32 million population inside a year and has secured more than adequate vaccines to attain the target.
Apart from its deal with Pfizer and BioNTech, Malaysia also has provide agreements with Britain’s AstraZeneca, Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute, and China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd and CanSino Biologics.
Muhyiddin mentioned earlier this month that the initially phase of the vaccine rollout from February to April will involve 500,000 frontline workers, followed by 9.4 million higher-danger people who will be vaccinated involving April and August.
A third and final phase will involve more than 16 million adults aged 18 and older, and will run from May to February next year.
The government has mentioned it will extend its cost-free COVID-19 vaccination programme to all foreigners residing in the nation, but that priority will be provided to Malaysians.
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