KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — The Cabinet has appointed Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to lead the national Covid-19 vaccination drive as Coordinating Minister.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced today that Khairy — who has been handling procurement of coronavirus vaccines for the country — will be heading a Special Task Force to run the national Covid-19 inoculation programme by handling logistics and coordination with states and government agencies.
“This is to enable the Ministry of Health (MOH) to continue focusing on health services in managing the Covid-19 epidemic that still shows worrying trends,” Muhyiddin said in a broadcast address.
Traditionally, MOH handles public inoculation activities, like child vaccination under the National Immunisation Programme (NIP). Covid-19 vaccinators administering shots are also likely to comprise mostly MOH staff.
Muhyiddin said today that more than 600 vaccination sites would be opened up nationwide in Malaysia’s largest ever vaccination programme, including public and private health facilities, stadiums, convention centres, public halls, and universities.
The government will use the Emergency Ordinance to temporarily take over halls and other facilities to prepare for the Covid-19 vaccination programme. The emergency law empowers the government to determine any compensation for private facilities acquired temporarily.
Muhyiddin said the Covid-19 vaccine rollout is expected to start at the end of the month, targeting vaccination of 26.5 million people, or 80 per cent of the population.
He added that the first shipments of Covid-19 vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, are expected to arrive in Malaysia this month. The prime minister did not elaborate on whether Putrajaya has managed to get a guarantee from the European Commission that the Pfizer-BioNTech deliveries to Malaysia will not be delayed as a result of the European Union’s (EU) new vaccine export controls scheduled to last until March 31.
Khairy recently said that a million Pfizer-BioNTech doses are expected to be delivered to Malaysia on schedule by March, after discussions with EU and Belgian ambassadors on the EU’s vaccine export restrictions.
The first phase of Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, targeting 500,000 frontliners comprising medical and non-medical workers, is scheduled to end in April.
The second phase, said Muhyiddin, will target 9.4 million people from high-risk groups: people aged 60 years and above, and those with underlying health issues like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as people with disabilities. This phase is estimated to run from April to August.
The third phase comprising adults aged 18 years and above will run from this May to February 2022.
“The government welcomes the participation of volunteers, students, community leaders, religious figures, non-governmental organisations, the Malaysian Red Crescent, St John Ambulance, the private sector, and Malaysians as a whole,” said Muhyiddin.
“Further information on the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, including registration, the location of vaccination sites, and other related information will be announced in due course.”
