Brunei to vaccinate 70% of population: health official

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Xinhua): Brunei is planning to provide Covid-19 vaccines for 70 per cent of its total population by the end of 2021 in three phases, head of the Disease Control Division at the country's Ministry of Health Justin Wong said.

Phase one of the vaccination is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2021 with priority for frontliners like those working at the National Isolation Center, airport and land control posts as well as high-risk individuals, such as senior citizens and those with chronic diseases, Wong was quoted as saying at a health forum by the Borneo Bulletin daily on Sunday (Jan 24).

Phase two is estimated to start in the second or third quarter of the year and will cover individuals at moderate risk and other essential workers, while phase three will be for the public and is estimated to begin in the third or fourth quarter of 2021.

"The Covid-19 vaccine will be distributed over several months. Not all individuals will be vaccinated immediately. This is because there is a limited supply of the vaccine," Wong was quoted as saying.

"Many countries do not have a sufficient supply of vaccine to inoculate the entire population in 2021. Therefore it is important for the vulnerable to be vaccinated first."

Although Brunei controlled the spread of Covid-19 in the first wave, the second, third or fourth wave may occur, he said. Thus the best long-term solution is to have an extensive vaccination programme to achieve herd immunity.