COVID vaccination programme expected to be completed end of this year or early 2022

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) is targetting the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the country to be completed by the end of this year or early next year.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the vaccination programme would involve three phases with the first phase expected to start in March involving half a million vaccines for frontline workers.

“We hope to receive the first vaccine at the end of next month. We expect the (first phase) of vaccinations to be from March to May with the second dose being administered 21 days after receiving the first dose.

“The second phase is for vulnerable groups involving those aged 60 and above and those with infectious and non-communicable diseases.

“The third phase will be given to all 17 million Malaysians, especially to those who are working. So, we hope to complete the vaccination by the end of this year or early next year. This is our plan to end or to break the Covid-19 infection chain in our country,” he said.

He said this at the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 emergency media briefing session held virtually, here today.

-- BERNAMA