Second batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to arrive Wednesday

Malaysia will receive its second batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine comprising 182,520 doses tomorrow for distribution to states that have yet to receive the vaccine, says Khairy Jamaluddin, the coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Khairy, who is also science, technology and innovation minister, said the vaccine, produced in Belgium, is scheduled to arrive at KLIA from Singapore in the morning.

“The vaccine will be distributed to states that have yet to receive supply,” he said at a press conference today.

The vaccine will be distributed to Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Perak tomorrow while Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will receive their supply on Feb 25, he said.

The first batch comprising 312,390 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Malaysia through the national entry points at KLIA, Sepang; Johor and Penang on Feb 21.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will be implemented in three phases starting Feb 24, with Phase 1 from Feb to April 2021 involving 500,000 frontliners.

Phase 2, from April to August, will involve senior citizens aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and the disabled – about 9.4 million people – while Phase 3 from May this year to February 2022 will cover Malaysians and non-citizens aged 18 and above, targeting more than 13.7 million people.

Khairy previously said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah would be among the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow, with the immunisation programme to start two days ahead of schedule.

It was originally scheduled to kick off on Feb 26.