PM Myuhiddin Gets 1st Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine As Malaysia Rolls Out Vaccination Programme

Registration for COVID-19 vaccination in Malaysia to start on 1st March

It once seemed like a long wait before vaccines would be available nationwide to help improve the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia. But those days are now behind us. Along with the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines landing on our shores this past weekend, a live-streamed event of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin receiving the first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine today, 24th February 2021, marks the beginning of a nationwide roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia.

Vaccination roll-out begins in Malaysia

Malaysia has been seeing better days in the month of February, with COVID-19 cases dipping down to over 2,000 cases reported yesterday instead of the high of 4,000 cases in January 2021. But vaccination still plays a key role in helping improve the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia overall, so we can see brighter days in the long run.

In an effort to show Malaysians that the vaccine is safe and to encourage us to register for vaccinations, PM Muhyiddin received the first jab at a government medical centre in Putrajaya. The process was live-streamed via RTM. Frontliners and Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah were among the first few to receive the vaccine as well.

Malaysia vaccination rollout
Image credit: @KKMPutrajaya

This event marks the start of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme in Malaysia, which aims to vaccinate 80% of the Malaysian population, or about 25.6 million citizens, in a year by February 2022. The vaccines will be free and available to Malaysians and foreigners who are living here.

80% of Malaysian population set to receive COVID-19 vaccine

According to Jawatankuasa Khas Jaminan Akses Bekalan Vaksin Covid-19 (JKJAV), a government portal for information on the COVID-19 vaccine, Malaysia has acquired 66.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from 5 suppliers as of February 2021. As this is no small number, vaccinations will be carried out in stages.

The 1st phase of vaccination will cover over 500,000 individuals, and is set to complete by April 2021. Those who will be getting the vaccines are healthcare workers, and then non-healthcare frontliners – including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), The People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA), Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (BOMBA) and Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).

Image credit: KKM

Phase 2, which kicks off in April, will first cover the remaining individuals from Phase 1, who have yet to receive their vaccinations. Prioritised next is the elderly community, and those with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes; and OKU citizens. This group amounts to about 9.4 million individuals.

The 3rd phase will be carried out from May 2021 to February 2022, targeting 13.7 million individuals comprising adults over the age of 18. Those living in red zones will be the first to receive the vaccines, then those in yellow and green zones. Anyone under 18 years of age will only receive the vaccine once it’s proven to be safe and effective for them.

Here’s how you can register for COVID-19 vaccinations

As of 23rd February, Malaysians can get a head start on registering for the vaccination programme through the MySejahtera app. Those who previously registered for the portal can simply click on a new feature called “COVID-19 vaccination” on the main page of the app. You then need to take a few minutes to answer some questions and confirm your registration for the vaccination process.

Malaysia vaccination rollout
Image credit: Janet Cho

This is one of 5 ways to register for the COVID-19 vaccinations, and everyone can start registering from 1st March. You’ll then be prioritised according to batches based on your answers given through the registration process.

Other ways to register for the vaccination programme include a hotline number to call, and online vaccination registration through JKJAV, which will be available from 5th March, as reported by KKM. Individuals can also opt to sign up manually by dropping by the nearest hospital or clinic, or through outreach facilities. There will be 605 designated COVID-19 vaccination centres. They include hospitals and clinics, as well as public spaces such as universities and stadiums, nationwide.

Image credit: JKJAV

There are 10 simple steps involved in the registration process.

Register through any of the 5 ways listed above
You’ll receive your appointment date
Show up at the designated vaccination centre
Get your temperature checked and your health assessed
Confirm your identity
Get a routine consultation and sign an authorisation form
Get the injection for the vaccination
Stay around for observation for about 30 minutes to ensure that you didn’t experience any severe reactions to the vaccine
Receive your vaccination card
Self-monitor your health

Currently, the only side effects reported by individuals who have taken the vaccine are classified as mild and temporary, and include common symptoms such as fatigue and headache.

Image credit: JKJAV

PM Muhyiddin’s vaccination kickstarts COVID-19 immunisation roll-out in Malaysia

Many of us have been anticipating the day that COVID-19 is finally off our streets. While it’s not a guarantee that the vaccines will put an end to the virus’s spread, it will be an effective way to improve the current situation in Malaysia so we can finally return to some semblance of “normal” life that we had known before the pandemic struck.