More vaccine doses on the way

 
The government has ordered more than 76.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine as vaccination is key to fighting the pandemic, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Prime Minister said the government is now targeting 500,000 daily vaccinations to ensure all Malaysian adults have received two doses by October.

"Vaccination is our most important key to success in fighting the Covid 19 pandemic. So what should the government do?

"It has ordered more than 76.1 million doses of vaccines - 70% Pfizer, 23.4% Sinovac, 10% AstraZeneca, 10.9% CanSino and 10% more through the Covax initiative," he said in a statement on his Facebook yesterday.

(Covax is a global vaccine procurement initiative designed to secure vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.)

Muhyiddin said Malaysia had received 20 million doses of vaccines it had ordered to date.

"We expect 30 million doses by the end of this month, 40 million doses by August, 53 million doses by September and 58 million doses by October.

"The rest will arrive between November this year and January 2022.

"Originally, 80% of the population was supposed to receive the complete doses by the first quarter of 2022. This was then brought forward to December this year," he said.

The Prime Minister added that with the new, more infectious Covid-19 variants and a sudden increase in positive cases nationwide, the vaccination program's target has been further accelerated.

"The entire adult population of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur will have received at least one dose at Operation Surge Capacity by Aug 1," he said.

"In Sarawak, the entire adult population there will have received at least one dose by the end of August.

"Most states will reach 50% vaccination coverage by the end of next month and by September, all states will reach 70% vaccination coverage," he added.

Muhyiddin said the adult population in the country will have received the complete doses by October.