Covid-19: Refugees in Malaysia to get CanSino vaccine, says Khairy

PETALING JAYA: Refugee communities in the country can expect to be inoculated with the CanSino vaccine when supplies arrive next month, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

The coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said the government is expecting a delivery of the single-dose vaccine in late July, and offering it to the refugee committee is an efficient way to protect them against Covid-19.

"A single-dose vaccine for the refugee community would be easier, as it is also difficult to gain access to them," he said after visiting the newly-opened mega vaccination centre at Stadium Bukit Jalil on Monday (June 21).

Separately, Khairy said the issue of a person being denied the Covid-19 vaccine because they did not have valid documents should not arise as the order was to vaccinate everyone.

"The question about having no documents can be dealt with later. The vaccine is more important," he said in response to an incident where a community of locals in Ulu Baram, Sarawak, were supposedly turned away at a vaccination centre there because they allegedly did not have identity cards.

He said in cases like that, the recipients' names and addresses would be taken down after they are vaccinated.

On Sunday (June 20), Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau had urged locals without identity cards in the area to walk-in and register for the vaccine with a support letter from their respective community leaders.

He also refuted claims made by a local NGO that many native locals were turned away from a PPV for not having identity cards.