Malaysia Will Have Enough Covid-19 Vaccines For Everyone, But Here’s How You Could Skip The Queue
Vaccine registration numbers are still below 50%.
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Although the country’s demand for the Covid-19 vaccine still outnumbers current supplies, it is projected that over 30 million Malaysians can be inoculated by the end of 2021.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister and coordinator of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) Khairy Jamaluddin explained that there were various challenges faced by the country to attain an adequate supply of coronavirus vaccines, like rich countries buying them all up, leaving developed countries behind.
However, Malaysia has sufficient ‘shots’ to begin Phase 2 of PICK with the arrival of over 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Sinovac’s vaccines in April.
Khairy also said that Malaysia’s vaccine supply is projected to overtake demand in June and we will have enough vaccines to innoculate over 80% of our population by December.
This is the projection for Malaysia’s cumulative vaccine deliveries. We project supply in excess of demand June onwards. This will mean faster vaccination rates. Current deliveries still low. Largely due to the stark vaccine inequity of advanced countries condemned by WHO and UN. pic.twitter.com/kpnIP2XH3m
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) April 13, 2021
PICK outlines three separate phases of the program; targeting to innoculate over 500,000 people in Phase 1 which began in February, 9.4 million people during Phase 2 which is set to start from April till August and the rest of the country of more than 13 million people in Phase 3 slated for May.
As of 12 April, over 1 million people in Malaysia have been inoculated with the first and second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. However, it is still concerning to learn that only 35% of the country’s estimated 37 million population registered under PICK.
Perkembangan terkini setakat 12hb April 2021 laporan harian pemberian dos pertama dan dos kedua vaksin Covid-19 mengikut negeri serta jumlah pendaftaran vaksin.
— Noor Hisham Abdullah (@DGHisham) April 13, 2021
Lindung diri, lindung semua pic.twitter.com/kiD9bGiay8
Skip the line
The government is also considering on letting blood donors skip the vaccine queue.
The plan is to let people who’ve donated blood more than 50 times priority during Phase 2 of PICK.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba explained that the proposal was a great incentive for blood donors – especially considering how the nation’s blood bank had been running low following the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: National Blood Centre Is Practically Begging For Blood Donors As Stocks Run Dangerously Low
Dr Adham mentioned that although the country’s current blood reserves were sufficient, the number of blood donations have dropped by over 12% or equal to only around 650,000 bags of blood collected in 2020, compared to previous years.
The number of donations is also expected to drop during the Ramadan season.
Want to get a head start on your 50 bags of blood?
National Blood Centre (PDN) will continue to hold blood donation programs throughout the Ramadan period. Malaysians are however advised to follow proper SOP when giving blood.
Online bookings for blood donations in Klang Valley can be made via the PDN registration link (HERE).
READ MORE: Malaysians Encouraged To Donate Blood During MCO, Here’s How
Denizens may attend any of the following donation centers below;
- National Blood Centre, Jalan Tun Razak
Free ‘buka puasa’ meals will be provided to the first 30 donors every day.
Monday – Friday : 7.30 am – 9pm
Saturday, Sunday & public holidays:: 8am – 4pm
- Midvalley Donation Suite, Mezzanine Level, Level 3 (Next to Daiso)
Every day – 10 am – 9pm
- Puspanita Blood Donation Suite, Presint 10, Putrajaya
Free ‘buka puasa’ meals will be provided to the first 15 donors every day.
Saturday – Wednesday: 8am – 4pm
Thursday – Friday: 1pm – 8.30 pm.
Muslims who are fasting are advised to donate blood after breaking fast and can bring along their own items such as prayer mats and ‘telekungs’ (for the ladies) to pray.
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