Malaysia launched its National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme on 24 February 2021, with the prime minister being the first person to be vaccinated. Around 850,000 front liners have already received at least one dose of the vaccine during the first phase of the programme, while the second phase is currently underway.
In its bid to achieve herd immunity, the third phase will kick off from May 2021 onwards where the country will start vaccinating the general population. To speed up the immunization plan, the government also lifted its initial policy of reserving the second dose for every individual who receives the first dose of the vaccine.
Malaysia has secured enough vaccines to cover its entire population. Around half of the population will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has started arriving in batches. The country is already using China’s Sinovac vaccine. It has also inked deals to procure Oxford University’s AstraZeneca vaccine, and the single-dose CanSino vaccine, which it aims to use on vulnerable groups.
The Malaysian borders are still closed with the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) currently in force until 17 May 2021 and being reviewed every two weeks. The Destination Asia Malaysia team look forward to welcoming international guests again once the situation surrounding COVID-19 has improved.
Stay up-to-date with Malaysia’s vaccine rollout on our dedicated COVID-19 report site.
