MOH facilities capable of administering COVID-19 vaccine to haj pilgrims - Dr Adham

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry (MOH) facilities are ready and capable of administering COVID-19 vaccine to Malaysian pilgrims if the haj is allowed to be performed this year, said its Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

He said the Malaysian government was waiting for the haj quota to be announced by the Saudi Arabian government.

"If the haj can be performed this year, the number of pilgrims involved is between 30,000 and 50,000. This can be easily administered by the MOH," he said in a press conference with Coordinating Minister for National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin, on the vaccination exercise, here today.

On March 3, Saudi Arabian Health Minister Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah was reported to have said that only people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to perform the haj.

Dr Adham said Malaysian haj pilgrims would be administered with either Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinovac, and possibly AstraZeneca if the vaccine reached Malaysia early.

HAJ-VACCINE 2 (LAST) PUTRAJAYA

The first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Malaysia is expected to arrive in the second quarter of this year.

According to Dr Adham, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be given to pilgrims starting this May as it requires two doses before they start their journey to Makkah to perform the haj in middle of June.

-- BERNAMA