Covid-19: Second phase of national immunisation programme to begin April 19, says Khairy

PETALING JAYA: The second phase of the national immunisation programme will begin on April 19 and it will involve the elderly, disabled and those with comorbidities, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said that out of the targeted nine million people in Phase Two of the vaccination programme, two million had already registered.

"Those eligible for the vaccine will receive a notification for the date of their vaccination two weeks prior to their appointments via the MySejahtera mobile application, phone call or SMS starting April 5," he said in a press conference at Putrajaya.

Khairy added that when the country receives more doses of the vaccine and supplies are sufficient, the immunisation programme will be brought forward to allow those in the Phase Three group as well as economic frontliners to get vaccinated earlier while waiting for those in the Phase Two group to register.

However, he assured that those in Phase Two who are late in registering would be prioritised and brought to the top of the queue once they register.

"When we decided to bring forward Phase Three, it doesn't mean that we have given up on those who don't want to register under Phase Two," said Khairy.

If they are late in registering, there is an algorithm in place that will push them - those who are senior citizens and those with co-morbidities - to the top of the queue once they register in the MySejahtera system," he added.

Khairy added that efforts to encourage more people from Phase Two to register will include door-to-door communication led by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) as well as utilising healthcare workers from both government and private hospitals.

"When they meet their patients for scheduled check-ups, especially those with chronic diseases, the doctors will be recommending to their patients to register for the vaccine. We are utilising every single channel possible to increase communication strategies," he said.