PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia received two more shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine today with the arrival of AstraZeneca and CoronaVac vaccines totalling 1,059,200 doses.

The COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) in a statement said of the total, 559,200 doses were the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine while another 500,000 doses were the CoronaVac vaccine.

"The arrival of this (vaccine) supply is in addition to the existing stock," the CITF said.

This brings the latest number of AZ vaccines received by Malaysia from the COVID-19 Global Vaccine Access (COVAX) facility to 828,000 doses. The previously obtained stock was 268,800 doses.

The CITF said another shipment of AZ vaccine supply from COVAX with the same volume of 559,200 doses will be at the end of this month.

"The doses of AstraZeneca received are guaranteed quality, safe and effective through compliance with the 'lot release' requirements," the CITF said.

The CITF said the vaccines received would be sent to the AstraZeneca vaccination centres (PPVAZ) in the Klang Valley as well as three other states that had recently joined the AstraZeneca Vaccine Invitation Initiative, namely Penang, Johor and Sarawak.

It also said that the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme is running smoothly as planned and even the vaccination rate of the country's population continues to rise due to the increase in vaccine supply which is expected to arrive from time to time.

"To date, the vaccination rate has recorded a consistent increase with 60,261 people receiving vaccinations on May 17, followed by 76,551 people (May 18) and 83,648 people (May 19)," according to the CITF.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement said the arrival of vaccines marked an important milestone for the COVAX facility in its efforts to deliver at least two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore Dr Lo Ying-Ru Jacqueline said priority should be given to those who need it most -- senior citizens and people with other underlying health conditions.

"WHO and its partners are working to ensure that more and different types of vaccines are made available through the COVAX facility, and we encourage people in Malaysia to register for their vaccination while continuing to be vigilant, as that is our best chance to stay healthy and be protected against COVID-19," she said.

UNICEF Representative to Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam Dr Rashed Mustafa Sarwar said the agency is excited to see the second shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the COVAX facility arriving in the country this morning.

"This is another contribution to the government's effort to safeguard the lives of citizens and non-citizens in Malaysia. Our partnership will continue, and we will overcome this pandemic together," he said.

The 559,200 doses of AZ vaccines that arrived today follows the April 21 shipment of 268,800 doses to Kuala Lumpur.

So far, Malaysia has received 828,000 doses of AZ vaccines from the expected 1,387,200 doses provided by the COVAX facility.

-- BERNAMA