Malaysia expects to receive BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Malaysia expects to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses from BioNTech/Pfizer by the end of February, the prime minister said Monday.

“As early preparation to ensure the smooth distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the people of this country when supplies are obtained, the Ministry of Health has developed a National COVID-19 Immunization Program Plan,” Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address to the nation.

Muhyiddin said that in order to achieve group immunity, 60-70% of the population or 20-23 million people must be given the shots.

He said the government has already signed preliminary purchasing agreements with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and the global COVAX facility to secure coronavirus vaccines for 40% of the population.

The prime minister added that the government was also in final negotiations with Chinese pharmaceutical companies Sinovac and CanSino, as well as Russia’s Gamaleya Center for the shots to cover more than 80% of the population or 26.5 million people.

Gov't re-imposes COVID-19 restrictions

Muhyiddin said the government will enforce the movement control order in Federal Territories and five other states from midnight Wednesday to curb the spread of coronavirus as the number of cases continues to rise.

He said it will be enforced for 14 days until Jan. 26 in Penang, Selangor, the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan as well as in Melaka, Johor, and Sabah.

“Our healthcare system is under tremendous pressure now than at any other time since the start of the pandemic,” said Muhyiddin. “As I've said before, authentic situations call for authentic measures.”

The order then entailed a ban on all mass gatherings for religious, sports, social, and cultural activities.

Houses of worship and businesses have to be closed, with the exception of supermarkets, public markets, and convenience shops which sell daily essentials.

Malaysia has reported more than 138,000 cases of COVID-19 so far, with over 2,200 daily cases recorded on Monday.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language service in Jakarta.