Malaysia Prihatin programme to serve as COVID-19, vaccination awareness campaign platform

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the government is intensifying its efforts as the number of individuals who have registered to receive vaccination shots was still too low.

"We will strive to increase awareness and work together to stop the COVID-19 pandemic through the Malaysia Prihatin programme as it has had a major impact on us," he said during the Malaysia Prihatin programme here today.

Local media reported previously that registrations on the MySejathera app for vaccinations have slowed down tremendously.

This morning, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba was reported to have said that the total registrations received for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme so far is only 7,625,478, or 31.4 per cent, with Selangor having the highest number of registrations, with 2,085,983.

In his speech, Shamsul Anuar, who is also Lenggong MP, reassured residents in the area that the vaccine provided was halal and safe.

"The Special Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Malaysian Islamic Affairs has decided that the COVID-19 vaccine use is permissible and obligatory for the groups set by the government.

"The use of vaccines to protect humans from dangerous diseases is not unknown from the perspective of Islamic law and laws regarding its use has been in effect since 1988," he said.

He was also optimistic that all the COVID-19 vaccines approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) for use in the country are safe and effective as the conditions for approval are based on meeting stringent international standards through evaluation of scientific, clinical and technical data.