KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Only 20 per cent of 9.4 million high-risk individuals targeted for Covid-19 vaccination have received at least one vaccine dose as of June 8, Vaccine Minister Khairy Jamaluddin revealed today.
He said 1,919,286 of the targeted 9.4 million individuals at high risk of developing severe disease or dying from Covid-19 — people aged 60 years and above, those with underlying health conditions, and people with disabilities — have been vaccinated under Phase Two of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).
According to Khairy, a total of 4,129,168 people have registered for Covid-19 vaccination under Phase Two of PICK as of June 8. This translates to only 43.6 per cent, or less than half, of the targeted 9.4 million high-risk individuals.
“As of June 8, vaccine registrations for Phase Two of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme rose to 4,129,168 people. Of that, a total of 2,256,257 registrations were among elderly people,” Khairy mentioned today in a joint press conference with Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.
“A total of 2,256,257 elderly people have registered for Covid-19 vaccines. Of them, 855,124 have received their first dose, while 436,244 people have received appointments until June 15,” Khairy added.
That shows only 38 per cent of senior citizens who registered for their Covid-19 jabs have been vaccinated so far.
“Almost 60 per cent of elderly people who have registered will either or have received their first dose by mid-June. The rest will receive their appointments as soon as possible,” Khairy added.
The main purpose of the national Covid-19 vaccination programme is to reduce hospitalisation and deaths from the virus that rose exponentially in the past month.
A whopping 80 per cent of the 9.4 million high-risk population have yet to receive even their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but the government has decided to begin the Phase Four vaccination programme for economic frontliners on June 16.
