Vaccine supplies bought and paid for, says PM

The government has completed the purchase and payments for Covid-19 vaccine supplies to meet the demand to accelerate vaccination in the country.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he had also instructed all ministers involved in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to ask vaccine manufacturers to provide Malaysia with the supplies more quickly.

“I have explained this at the national level that we need to increase vaccination rate up to 400,000 doses per day. Now, we have reached almost 250,000 doses per day. So, there is still room for improvement and this was based on the delivery of vaccines that we have secured. The total number is more than we need nationwide.

“It’s not that we did not purchase (the vaccine). We did and we have paid for it. It’s just that the supplies have yet to arrive because the whole world is in need of the vaccine. That is why we made sure we have enough supplies,” he said at a press conference after visiting the vaccination centre at Dewan Muafakat Johor Bukit Gambir yesterday.

He said several vaccination centres were also ready to increase their vaccination capacity, but could not do so due to a shortage of vaccine supplies.