Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin greets members of the public at the Menara Sime Darby Plantation drive-thru vaccination centre in Petaling Jaya June 24, 2021. — Bernama pic
KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin congratulated the country’s health workers and Malaysians for reaching the target of 500,000 daily Covid-19 vaccinations yesterday, but said the momentum must be kept up to protect all of Malaysia.
He also expressly thanked medical frontliners as well as volunteers serving at vaccination centres across the country for helping to meet this objective.
Following Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba’s announcement this morning that 507,750 Covid-19 vaccinations were given out yesterday, Muhyiddin highlighted that Malaysia has sustained a rate of over 400,000 doses nearly every day since July 12.
The rate meant that 46.7 per cent of the country’s adult population have already received their first dose of the vaccines while 21.8 per cent were now fully vaccinated.
“This achievement is in line with the target set and must be further enhanced in order to achieve the aim of fully vaccinating 26 million of the country’s residents,” the prime minister said in a statement today.
“By vaccinating, we can help alleviate the pressure on hospitals and reduce the cases of severe infections, and consequently proceed with efforts to make the National Recovery Plan successful, God willing.”
The 26 million figure that Muhyiddin mentioned referred to the country’s adult population and excluded minors as well as other groups not yet eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccines.
According to the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), Malaysia has administered over 16 million vaccinations in the country as of yesterday.
Malaysia has been ramping up its vaccination rate sharply, with an eye on achieving around half a million daily vaccinations in order to meet the government’s accelerated target of immunising the country’s entire population against Covid-19 by October.
This included initiatives such as Operation Surge Capacity to allow walk-in vaccinations in the Klang Valley from August 1 to ensure all adult residents have at least partial protection against Covid-19.
The government previously set a target to fully vaccinate 10 per cent of the country as one of three indicators to exit Phase One of the National Recovery Plan.