Mardzuki (standing, right) and Dr Wong on his right observe a soldier giving blood during the event. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KOTA SAMARAHAN: A total of 3,500 members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) in Sarawak will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine starting March 11, said Army Eastern Field Command commander Lt-Gen Dato Mardzuki Muhammad.
He said those receiving the vaccine are part of the first phase of ATM’s exercise to vaccinate all army personnel in the state.
“For this first phase, ATM frontline personnel would be given priority to receive the first batch of the vaccine. Although all ATM personnel are frontliners, we have to identify those who really need to be given the vaccine first,” he told reporters after launching the 88th Army Day Blood Donation Programe, at the Muara Tuang Army Camp here yesterday.
He said Phase 1 of the vaccination programme should see 35 per cent of ATM personnel in Sarawak being vaccinated.
“Among those to be vaccinated first are soldiers assigned to Op Teras, Op Benteng, Op Penawar and those assigned to Covid-19 red zone areas.
“The rest will follow the second and third phases of the vaccination programme in the state,” he said, adding that family members of army personnel as well as army veterans who meet the vaccination criteria would also be given the vaccine in phases 2 and 3.
He also said ATM has set a target of vaccinating all its personnel in Sarawak and Sabah by this August.
On the blood donation drive, Mardzuki said it was jointly organised by the First Infantry Division and Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) blood bank.
Also present at the event was SGH Transfusion Medicine Department and Blood Bank medical transfusion specialist Dr Wong Yi Shen.
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