MPs, reps to get Covid-19 jabs in Phase 1 of vaccination plan

MPs and assemblymen will be among those to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase of the national vaccination programme, says Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the matter was agreed on by the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) as MPs and state assemblymen usually work closely with the grassroots community.

“Since the nature of their job is such, we agree that MPs and state assemblymen, regardless of which party they are from, will be given the vaccine during the first phase so that they can discharge their duties more effectively and safely,” he said at a press conference after launching the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook in Putrajaya today.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will be implemented in phases beginning Feb 26, with Muhyiddin to receive the vaccine on that day together with the frontliners.

On the request by the National Union of Journalists and the National Union of Teaching Services for media personnel and teachers to be included in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination, Muhyiddin said the government would consider their requests, as well as those from various community groups.

“If we believe they are at risk if not vaccinated, we will consider them as among the first recipients of the vaccination programme,” he added.

Meanwhile Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who is also JKJAV co-chairman said the government had allocated 300,000 doses for medical frontliners in the first phase of the vaccination programme and 200,000 doses for non-medical frontliners including security personnel, welfare officers and politicians.

It was previously reported that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, to be carried out in three phases, would target 80% of the country’s population, or 26.5 million individuals, who will receive the vaccine for free.

The first phase will run from February to April for 500,000 frontline workers while the second phase, from April to August, is for those in high-risk groups aged 60 and above, as well as vulnerable groups with morbidity problems and persons with disabilities.

The third phase is for those aged 18 and above which will be from this May to February next year.