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PUTRAJAYA (Nov 27): The Covid-19 vaccine will be given free to Malaysians, but foreigners will have to pay a fee determined by the Health Ministry, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.
The prime minister said the government has no plans to make vaccination mandatory and that the vaccine will be given only to those who agree to take it voluntarily, particularly those at risk and prone to disease.
“I heard that many people are waiting for the Covid-19 vaccine to lead a normal life without easily getting infected.
“We hope that with the steps taken by the government to supply the vaccine, we can save more people from the disease,” he said at a virtual press conference here.
The press conference was also attended by the Minister of Health, Datuk Seri, Dr. Adham Baba, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin.
Muhyiddin said a recent study by YouGov, a British internet-based international market research and data analysis firm, found that 82% of Malaysians are ready to be vaccinated, and he expected the figure to eventually reach 100%.
Commenting on the criteria for selecting vaccines for supply, he said that priority will be given to vaccines that are of high quality, safe to use and effective based on the results of clinical trials conducted by the companies.
“In addition, the price and additional costs, such as equipment and disposable materials, will also be taken into account.
“In this initial stage, the vaccine that will be commercialized will surely cost a little more and there will be a difference between one producer and another.
“If there is an opportunity to negotiate to ensure a reasonable price, we will do it to obtain affordable costs with financing not only from the government but also from the private sector in the country,” he said.
Muhyiddin said that to address the anti-vaccine movement, the government will organize strategies at the national and state levels to confront it and strengthen advocacy for the importance of getting vaccinated.
He said this will be done comprehensively, including through statements to the media, media reports, publications, television and radio, as well as on social media, in addition to holding more health seminars and celebrations of the Day. World Immunization and World Immunization Week.
At the community and health clinic level, appropriate steps will also be taken to inform the community and community leaders about the importance of people getting vaccinated, he said.
However, he said, at this stage, immunization will not involve school children.
Khairy had said at the end of the debate on the 2021 Supply Bill in Dewan Rakyat that the development of Covid-19 vaccines at this time was focused only on adults.
He said the vaccines that were being developed had not yet been tested in children 12 and younger.
Read also:
Government signs agreement with Pfizer for 12,8 thousand doses of Covid-19 vaccine – PM Muhyiddin
Covid-19: M’sia negotiates with 10 companies for the vaccine – PM Muhyiddin
Malaysia’s first Covid-19 vaccine recipients are not ‘lab rats’ – PM Muhyiddin
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