Certificate of exemption to individuals who cannot be vaccinated - Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will consider providing a certificate of exemption to any individual who cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccine injection in lieu of a vaccine passport.

Coordinating Minister of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK), Khairy Jamaluddin, said the individuals included those with allergies or immunocompromised.

He explained that the government will be fair to the group of individuals as information to foreign countries.

“However, due to the principle of fairness for those who cannot receive injections, for example due to immunocompromised (lack of resistance to infection) or serious allergies, it is being thought about how an exemption certificate can be given to them.

"Due to other circumstances for those who cannot receive the vaccine due to allergies, we will be fair and give a certificate of exemption," he said here today.

He said this while making a survey at the Vaccination Centre (PSV) at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), here today.

Also present was the Director of Universiti Malaysia Medical Centre (UMMC), Professor Dr Nazirah Hasnan.

Khairy explained that the government is still refining the proposal to provide digital certificates through MySejahtera to individuals who have completed two doses of COVID-19 vaccine injection.

"With the system, we will provide information to the WHO (World Health Organisation) and other countries so that they can recognise our system," he explained.

He said this when asked to comment on the WHO report which expressed concern over the proposal to create a vaccine passport to enable international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the WHO Emergency Director, Dr. Michael Ryan, so far the health agency has recommended that the vaccine passport not be implemented for now.