Govt drafting National Recovery Plan for Covid-19 battle, says PM
The government is drafting a National Recovery Plan in preparation for the country to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic at a reasonable level, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The Prime Minister said the plan based on data, science and all the preparations that had been done, including in terms of Covid-19 management, the economy, vaccination programme and so on, would be presented to the National Security Council (MKN) within the next week. “It is time we have a National Recovery Plan for us to get out of this problem, but this is a big challenge depending on the cooperation and support of all parties,” he said. Muhyiddin said the plan was also, among others, to inform the people about the current developments and the phases involving the management of Covid-19 in the country. In the meantime, the prime minister said the government is considering setting a deadline for registration for Covid-19 vaccination. Currently the registration process is done openly and ongoing with no deadline set. (Malay Mail)
Ismail Sabri: We may relax SOP if cases dip below 4,000
The government is studying the possibility of relaxing the standard operating procedure (SOP) under the present lockdown should daily Covid-19-positive cases drop below 4,000. Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the matter was, however, subject to advice from the Health Ministry. The government, he said, would be holding a special meeting to discuss the plan to emerge from the full implementation of the movement control order. Malaysia is currently in nationwide lockdown after MCO 3.0 was initially imposed on May 12. On the special meeting, Ismail Sabri said the government was discussing to find a way out of the implementation of the various MCOs due to the pandemic. (The Star)
Malaysia developing own Covid-19 vaccines
Malaysia is developing vaccines for Covid-19 amid criticism over the allegedly slow pace of its vaccination drive. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said Malaysia is in the process of developing two types of Covid-19 vaccines – a ribonucleic acid (RNA) vaccine or messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine and an inactivated vaccine. He said a team of researchers from the ministry’s Institute for Medical Research Malaysia (IMR) is in the works of developing the vaccines. “We hope this would increase the vaccine capacity besides preparing Malaysia for future developmental capacity of vaccines in addition to preparing Malaysia to face future pandemics,” he shared on his Facebook page. The currently ongoing National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme offers three vaccines, the Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac and AstraZeneca, all of which are imported. (NST Online)
KPKT sets up call centre to contact individuals absent from Covid-19 vaccination appointments
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) has set up a call centre to contact individuals who failed to show up for their vaccination appointments. Its Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said the initiative, in collaboration with Penggerak Kommuniti Negara and the National Unity Ministry, began last Tuesday at the vaccination centre (PPV) in Kampung Ampang Indah Community Hall, Ampang, where seven telephone operators have been trained for the purpose. The pilot project involved 177 individuals, in three categories namely individuals who have received appointment dates in the MySejahtera application but did not provide feedback, those absent for their second dose, and individuals who failed to show up for their first vaccination. Zuraida said the ministry also provides two-way transport for individuals who have problems travelling to the vaccination centres. Besides, Zuraida said to complete the system, a mobile clinic was also provided to assist the team to visit the target groups such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities and the homeless to administer vaccinations. Zuraida said the ecosystem model would be expanded to other states such as Johor, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Pahang to increase the national vaccination rate. (Malay Mail)
Appeals for rejected Prihatin applications can be made from Tuesday (June 15)
Individuals whose Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) applications had been rejected can submit their appeal starting June 15 (Tuesday) until June 30, says Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Tengku Zafrul said applicants can submit an appeal with relevant documents to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN). Previously, the government announced the People and Economic Strategic Empowerment Programme Plus (Pemerkasa Plus) with an additional allocation of RM2.1bil for financial aid under BPR to continue helping existing recipients. Tengku Zafrul said applicants can submit their appeal using several methods, namely online at https://bpr.hasil.gov.my or by delivering the BPR 2021 appeal form to IRB’s branches or Revenue Service Centres (PKH) or Urban Transformation Centre manually by appointment. (The Star)
