[UPDATED] 182,520 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech jab to land tomorrow, KJ says

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia will receive another 182,520 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine tomorrow, for distribution to states that have yet to get supply, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The science, technology and innovation minister, who is also in charge of coordinating the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said the vaccines, produced in Belgium, are scheduled to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport via Singapore in the morning.

“The vaccines will be distributed to states that have yet to receive supply,” he told a press conference after conducting a simulation of the inoculation campaign here today.

The doses will be distributed to Kedah, Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Perak tomorrow, while Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will receive their supply on Thursday, he said.

The first batch of 312,390 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Malaysia through KLIA in Sepang, as well as Johor and Penang, two days ago.

The national immunisation drive will be implemented in three phases starting tomorrow. Phase 1, to go on until April, will see some 500,000 frontliners getting vaccinated.

Phase 2, from April to August, will involve people aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and the disabled, totalling some 9.4 million individuals, while Phase 3, from May to February next year, will cover Malaysians and foreigners aged 18 and above, with a target of 13.7 million people inoculated.

Khairy previously said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah will be among the first to get the Covid-19 jab tomorrow.

Today, he said 55,539 teachers, who are categorised as high-risk, will be considered for inclusion in Phase 1 of the vaccination programme, following a list submitted by the Education Ministry.

“We will try to include teachers in the first phase of the immunisation programme before school reopens.”

Preschoolers, as well as Years 1 and 2 pupils, will return to the classroom on March 1, while Years 3 to 6 pupils will be back in school on March 8.

Secondary school students will return to class on April 4, except for Form 5 students, who will start school on March 8.

On the simulation exercise, which was also attended by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, Khairy said the overall vaccination process takes 15 to 30 minutes. – Bernama, February 23, 2021