NOW is not the right time for vaccine passports because most of the population have not been inoculated against Covid-19, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Vaccine passports can only be used when herd immunity is achieved, which the government hopes will be in November, he told a webinar on Facebook.

Another two to three months are needed for the government to achieve a rate of daily vaccinations that can reach herd immunity, he added.

“Right now, the majority of the population are still not vaccinated. If we set vaccination as a condition (for travel) too early, people will be angry because many of them are still not vaccinated,” Noor Hisham said.

He also described vaccination at current rates as a supporting measure to movement restrictions. 

“In the next two, three months, we have to increase the amount of vaccines administered. We expect by November or December, we can achieve herd immunity.

“Only when herd immunity is achieved can the government consider allowing social gatherings for those who have been vaccinated.

“We will also see, as more people are vaccinated, if we can use vaccination status as a way to allow interstate travel and to loosen other restrictions, but not now,” he said.

As of yesterday, a cumulative 5.67 million doses have been administered under the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.

Of this, 4.08 million people or 12.5% of the population have received one shot, while 1.59 million people have received two shots.

The special committee on ensuring access to Covid-19 vaccine supply’s graphics do not state the percentage of the population that have received two doses but it works out to 4.86%.

Under the government’s four-phase national recovery plan, social gatherings will only be allowed in the final phase, after daily Covid-19 cases drop to less than 500 nationwide and 60% of the population is fully vaccinated.

The government hopes this will be achieved in November. – June 20, 2021.