60% of adults to be fully vaccinated by Merdeka, says PM

Malaysia will have 60% of its adult population fully inoculated against Covid-19 by Merdeka Day, and is well on its way to achieving a vaccination rate of 100% by the end of October, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said after being briefed by the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) today.

“By Aug 31, over 60% of the adult population or more than 40% of the entire population in the country is expected to have been fully vaccinated.

“This is definitely good news for all of us ahead of this year’s national day celebration,” he said.

He said it is estimated that 100% of all adults in the country will have completed their vaccination by the end of October, adding that this was possible due to the performance of the national immunisation programme.

He said data showed that the number of critical cases would be drastically reduced in tandem with the vaccination rate.

Yesterday, Putrajaya announced the relaxation of movement restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated, including a return to prayer congregations and travel across districts.

Dine-in activities at eateries in states which have entered the second phase of the National Recovery Plan will also be allowed for the fully vaccinated, subject to SOPs set by health authorities.

Malaysia’s vaccination rate is currently among the highest in the world, but daily cases have also risen sharply in the last month, a development blamed on the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.