Govt mulling certificate of exemption for those who cannot receive vaccine
Khairy Jamaluddin says the certificate would be issued to those who have serious allergies or who are immunocompromised.
The government is considering issuing a certificate of exemption for individuals who cannot receive the Covid-19 vaccine due to serious allergies or because they are immunocompromised.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the certificate would replace the digital vaccine certificate to be given to all recipients once they have completed the second dose of the vaccine.
“On the principle of fairness, we are thinking about how we can give a certificate of exemption to those who cannot take the vaccine and not because they decide not to be vaccinated. I think we have to be fair,” he said.
Khairy, who is in charge of the country’s vaccine procurement, said this at a press conference after visiting the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre vaccination centre in Petaling Jaya today.
He also said the government is still refining its plan to issue digital vaccine certificates through the MySejahtera application.
He said the system would provide information to the World Health Organization and other countries so that the certificate would be recognised as proof of vaccination.
He said the government is also drafting a strategy for the homeless, refugees and undocumented migrants to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
He said he would hold a meeting with United Nations agencies this week to discuss the best method of vaccinating these groups.
“Maybe I will also have a coordinating meeting with Kuala Lumpur City Hall about the homeless,” he added.
He said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba would announce the protection scheme for the compensation of those who suffer serious side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine at a joint press conference on March 15.
On China’s Sinovac vaccine, he said the health ministry’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency is carrying out stability testing on the vaccine which could take a month to complete.
“We want to see if there are any flaws to the vaccine when it is bottled here. If approval is given, we can roll out the vaccine by next month,” he said.
Malaysia received the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine on Feb 27.
On claims about fake vaccines being sold online, Khairy urged all parties to report the matter to the ministry for further action.
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