MOH to procure new COVID-19 vaccine for elderly, children with chronic diseases

PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will procure a new variant of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially for children with chronic diseases and the elderly, said Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today.

He added that the vaccine will be administered free of charge, but not to all groups as the coronavirus situation in Malaysia is under control.

"A decision on this procurement will be announced later along with the vaccines for children under five," he told a press conference after attending the Malaysia Book of Record Award presentation ceremony and the launch of the Record-Breaking COVID-19 Vaccination Report: Public Private Partnership.

According to Khairy, the vaccines will be administered in government and private health facilities.

To kick-start the vaccination process, the ministry had asked the Public Health and Paediatric Departments to provide data on patients with comorbidities and high-risk children in the country, he said.

"These data will be collected in the MOH's database. They will help the ministry to procure enough vaccines," he said.

In his speech, Khairy said ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd and MOH had made history when they entered the Malaysian Book of Records for the most vaccine doses administered in one day under the National COVID -19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), which has been running since February last year.

He said the highest number of vaccinations ever recorded in the country was achieved on July 28 last year with 581,566 doses administered in one day.

To date, 72 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to Malaysians, including the elderly, adolescents, and children.

-- BERNAMA