Khairy Jamaluddin, head of the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF), said that applicants outside of Phase 2 of the national rollout might be able to get jabbed as early as April or May.
CodeBlue reported that economic frontliners (individuals who work in the manufacturing, construction, aviation, oil, and gas sectors) and the general public would be eligible for an early vaccination regardless of their risk levels due to slow registration rates among high-risk groups.
Johoreans who commute daily to Singapore for work purposes will also be earmarked for an early vaccination appointment to reopen the southern border.
“If you registered early for Phase Three, don’t be surprised you can get your appointment in the next month or so.”
Speaking to CodeBlue, Khairy gave a detailed explanation for the pushing forward the vaccination appointments of citizens who registered under Phase 3 of the rollout.
“While waiting for senior citizens and people with comorbidities to register, we have some buffer to play around with for some of these economic sectors.”
“I’ve made the decision that we’re not going to wait for people to register under Phase Two. If it’s going to be slow, then we just move Phase Three up. There’s no point waiting for people as long as we get a constant stream of vaccines coming in,” he said.
The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) will officially announce which economic sectors will be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination based upon their financial contributions and risk assessment by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Sources: (CodeBlue and SinChew Daily)
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh