COVID: Less than 50 pct of Malays received booster dose - Khairy

Therefore, he said efforts should be intensified, especially through social media to communicate with the community about the importance of getting the booster shot.

Khairy said overall, the number of booster doses administered daily was starting to increase again as it was the best protection against the virus, especially amid fast spread of the Omicron variant.

In a Twitter post today, he said as of yesterday (Feb 10), 47.9 per cent of Malays have received the booster dose, Chinese (81.3 per cent), Indians (56.4 per cent), Orang Asli (49.6 per cent) and others (50.6 per cent).

On the percentage in uptake of booster dose according to states, Khairy said Sarawak recorded the highest number at 76.8 per cent, followed by Melaka (71.9 per cent), Klang Valley (66.9 per cent), Negeri Sembilan (62.4 per cent), Penang (61.5 per cent), Labuan (57.1 per cent).

Johor recorded 56.8 per cent, Perak (51.7 per cent), Pahang (48.3 per cent), Kedah (43.9 per cent), Terengganu (38.4 per cent), Perlis (30.9 per cent), Kelantan (25.3 per cent) and Sabah (24.8 per cent).

In a separate tweet, Khairy, said focus must be given to areas with low COVID-19 booster coverage, especially ahead of the Johor state election.

He said according to the booster coverage heatmap in Johor, as of yesterday, Muar has the highest percentage at 71 per cent, followed by Johor Bahru (67 per cent), Kulai (56 per cent), Batu Pahat (52 per cent), Kluang (46 per cent), Kota Tinggi (42 per cent), Tangkak (40 per cent), Segamat (37 per cent), Pontian (35 per cent) and Mersing (32 per cent).

As for the Klang Valley, Petaling is at 79 per cent, Kuala Lumpur (75 per cent, Putrajaya (70 per cent) Hulu Langat (61 per cent) Klang and Gombak (59 per cent), Kuala Langat and Sepang (54 per cent), Kuala Selangor (48 per cent), Sabak Bernam (40 per cent) and Hulu Selangor (20 per cent).

In another Twitter post, Khairy said employers who upgrade ventilation systems at their office qualify for tax deductions under Budget 2022.

"If you need to call for physical meetings, make sure you have improved ventilation in your office. The tax deduction facility has been extended until the end of 2022. Details at @LHDNMofficial," he said.