Pikas helps boost vaccination numbers

PUTRAJAYA: Over 100,000 workers in the manufacturing sector have received their first Covid-19 vaccination dose under the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas).

Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Lim Ban Hong said the response towards the programme was very encouraging and it had helped to boost Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination rate.

“Pikas plays a very important role in making workers in the manufacturing sector feel safe in the workplace.

“This programme is also a pragmatic step to increase the company’s productivity as we adapt to living with this pandemic,” he said.

As of Wednesday, a total of 10,522 companies involving 903,244 employees have registered under Pikas and 101,117 have received their first dose.

The ministry said companies in the manufacturing sector can register for the programme at http://pikas.miti.gov.my and urged those who had submitted their information via email, to furnish their details in the Pikas online system.

So far, 19 Pikas vaccine dispensing centres (PPV) have started operations in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah, Penang and Terengganu.

Launched on June 16, Pikas is a strategic collaboration between the public and private sectors that focuses on vaccinating workers in the manufacturing sector.

The government via Pikas will provide vaccines for free while the private sector will fund and manage the PPV in order to reduce the government’s administrative cost.