PUTRAJAYA has secured enough vaccine supplies to cover the entire population of Malaysia, including non-citizens, said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

“Yes, the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister (Khairy Jamaluddin) had negotiated to (procure vaccines) which could cover up to 109.65% (of the population) so that there are enough supplies,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Adham was responding to The Malaysian Insight’s queries on whether the increase in the doses procured was enough to cover the entire population of 32.7million.

According to data from the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme handbook, the government has secured 66.7 million doses of vaccine from five manufacturers, which is enough to cover 109.65% of the population”.

Putrajaya previously said it procured enough vaccines to immunise 26.5 million people, or about 80% of the population.

A back of the envelope calculation of data released by the Science, Technology and Innovation MInistry in December showed that the doses procured totalled 49.5 million.

Latest data in the handbook released on February 16 stated Malaysia has increased its purchase of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 32 million doses from the previously stated 12.8 million, which will be sufficient to immunise 50% of the population, or about 16 million people.

The government will purchase 12.8 million doses from AstraZeneca, which will cover 20% of the population.

Another 12 million doses will be procured from China-based Sinovac, which will cover 18.75% of the population, and another 3.5 million doses for about 11% of the population will be procured from another Chinese manufacturer, CanSinoBIO.

The government will also purchase 6.4 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which is enough to cover 10% of the population.

All of the vaccines except for the CanSinoBio jab will be administered in two doses.

A total of RM3 billion was allocated under Budget 2021 for the procurement of vaccines.

The country is set to receive the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines on February 21.

The national Covid-19 immunisation programme will begin on February 26, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced recently.

Vaccination will be voluntary. – February 19, 2021.