Key Information for Travelers to Malaysia.
Dear Friends of Malaysia,
Malaysia is expected to receive the COVID-19 vaccine supply in stages beginning the first quarter of 2021. The vaccination will prioritise high-risk groups who are more susceptible to the pandemic, including frontline workers, the elderly, and patients with non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
Our Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, about 30 per cent of the Malaysian population will get this free vaccine after the government has signed two agreement for its procurement. Foreigners, however, will be charged at a rate determined by the Health Ministry.
According to Muhyiddin, through preliminary purchasing agreement with pharmaceutical company Pfizer, 12.8 million doses of vaccine will be received to immunise 20 per cent or 6.4 million Malaysians. Besides, Malaysia has also inked an agreement with the vaccine development platform COVAX Facility to secure access to the COVID-19 vaccine for another 10 per cent of the country’s population.
This vaccination is not compulsory but will be administered to the people voluntarily if it is proven to be safe and effective. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin said, the preliminary data of the Pfizer vaccine so far have shown 95 per cent of its effectiveness after undergoing the third phase of clinical trials involving 43,998 people worldwide, aged between 12 to 85 years old.
Importantly, this vaccine must also pass the strict conditions set by our Health Ministry's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), and the government will not compromise on this matter.
On the other hand, following the increasing number of positive cases of COVID-19 among foreign workers, especially at factories as well as construction sites, our government has issued a new directive.
All foreign workers are required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 screening using RTK Antigen in stages, starting December 1, with the first phase will be carried out in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Labuan. The cost of the test will be borne by their respective employers.
Besides, Human Resources Ministry has also started enforcing the Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) as employers need to accommodate proper housing facilities to foreign workers to ensure the safety and hygiene.
As of December 1, Malaysia celebrated the recoveries of 1,552 more patients, and the overall COVID-19 recovery rate is at 83.9%. At the same time, Malaysia also recorded 1,472 new cases, totalling 67,169 cases nationwide. The total deaths are 363 cases or 0.5% of the confirmed cases.
