PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): An additional RM2bil to RM5bil allocation for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme is needed after various factors were considered, including increased costs to procure the Covid-19 vaccine and the costs to administer the programme, says Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
MELAKA: A total of 95% from the country’s estimated 57,000 frontliners have been inoculated under Phase One of the National Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme, according to Khairy Jamaluddin.
The coordinating minister of the programme said vaccination of the remaining frontliners was expected to be completed by the end of this month.
“In Melaka, all frontliners have completed their first dose and are now waiting their turn for the second jab, ” he said after observing Phase Two of the programme at Dewan Tun Ali Vaccine Centre at Bukit Katil here.
Good response: Khairy (seated, right) chatting with several senior citizens who had turned up for the second phase of their vaccinations at Dewan Tun Ali in Melaka. Bernama
PETALING JAYA: A decision has yet to be made on whether or not there is a need to administer a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, says Khairy Jamaluddin.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister, asked about the Pfizer CEO’s recent statement that a third vaccine dose may need to be administered within 12 months, said: That is the view of Pfizer’s CEO. We don’t have any data on this yet.
“Even so, the Health Ministry, the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force and the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee are making long-term plans.
“It is possible that we would need such doses in the years to come. We do not know yet, ” he said in his weekly press conference with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba on Monday (April 19).
Close watch: Dr Noor Hisham and Tuaran Hospital director Dr G. Mohan Gopal Naidoo (left) looking on as a nurse gets a vaccine jab during a visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Tuaran. Bernama
KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry will continue with plans to use the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as the benefits outweigh the reported adverse effects, says director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He was responding to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement that the Special Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee would decide on the use of the vaccine tomorrow following reports of blood clots.
ISKANDAR PUTERI: Malaysia will make a decision on the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow (April 6), but says it has a back-up plan in case it needs to defer its use.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Special Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee would decide on the use of the vaccine.
“We will receive reports from a group of experts on the latest developments related to the vaccine as there are several cases being reported by the media, as well as those from Britain’s regulatory body on blood clots. We will look at the data available.
“However, I would like to assure the public that there is no need to worry because while we have approved AstraZeneca, Malaysia has yet to receive any delivery, ” he said after a meeting with Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad at Kota Iskandar here yesterday.The government, Khairy added, had ordered about 6.4 million doses of AstraZeneca with another 1.4 million doses through the Covax facility