Khairy (centre) speaking to the vaccine recipients at the temporary vaccination centre in SK Pulau Larapan, Semporna.
SEMPORNA: The Ministry of Health has given its assurance that even illegal immigrants will be eligible to get the Covid vaccine.
Its minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, said that public health is the country’s main priority now and therefore any lack of documentation shouldn’t hinder people from getting the vaccine.
“We will give the vaccine to everyone. We will not reject anyone,” he told reporters when met during the vaccination outreach programme, held here at SK Pulau Larapan on Tuesday.
“I asked the villagers, just to see their documentation status, and some only had letters from the state government or the village chief validating their identities. They didn’t have the blue IC.
“I have spoken to Health Ministry officials and those in other ministries that public health is most important now. We shouldn’t ask where they’re from or why they don’t have ICs,” he stressed.
In view of this, Khairy said that all those who reside in Malaysia should go to the nearby vaccination centres to get their shot.
He also said the decision on Covid-19 vaccination for students will be finalised at the coordination meeting involving the Health Ministry and Education Ministry scheduled for Thursday.
Khairy said as soon as the final decision on the matter is reached, it would be taken to the National Security Council for further action.
“I, together with the Health Ministry’s top management, will have a meeting with the Senior Minister of Education (Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin) and the top management of the Education Ministry (on Thursday).
“We will finalise the matter at the meeting,” he said.
He said apart from vaccination for students, several other proposals relating to the health and education sectors would also be discussed in the meeting.
On the situation in Sarawak which recorded a record high of 3,714 new Covid-19 cases on Monday despite the state’s vaccination rate of 80 per cent, Khairy said 99 per cent of the cases were in Category 1 and 2.
“Only four patients were in Category 3, 4 and 5. The cases in Sarawak show that we are in the transition into the endemic phase where we will have to live with the virus. There will be infections but the effects will not be as bad, with only cough and mild fever,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khairy commended the level of public awareness on the importance of Covid-19 vaccination among the island and rural communities in Sabah, which was deemed high at the moment.
He said this was evident in the encouraging response received for the Covid-19 vaccination outreach programme held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Larapan here, which provided 1,000 doses of single-shot Cansino vaccine to the recipients on Tuesday.
“Not only the people in Pulau Larapan, but the people from the nearby islands also flocked to the venue to get vaccinated. Communication to increase public awareness has improved and the people now know that vaccination is important.
“Semporna has received 26,000 doses of the CanSino vaccine and 3,000 have been used so far,” he said, adding that Sabah will continue to be given priority to get additional supplies of the CanSino vaccine.