Malaysian government officials to be mandatorily vaccinated

Bangkok, Sep 30 (EFE).- The government of Malaysia on Thursday announced that it would be mandatory for all officials of the federal administration to get vaccinated against Covid-19, even as the country approaches the landmark of 90 percent of its adult population being fully inoculated.

The public service department said that public officials who have still not been fully immunized have until Nov. 1 to receive the full dose of the serum, although an exception would be made for employees who submit a medical report advising against taking the vaccine due to health reasons.

The measure is aimed at boosting public confidence in the vaccine, according to a statement released by the department on Thursday.

According to officials, around 98 percent of the 1.6 million Malaysian government employees have already received the full dose of the vaccination.

The officials who do not comply with the measure could face disciplinary measures, which have not been specified yet.

Malaysia, which overcame its worst coronavirus wave in late August, is among the Southeast Asian countries with the best vaccination rates and expects to cover 80 percent of the target population by the end of the year.

The country is set to be fully reopened after the goal is met.

Health authorities have already began to vaccinate the younger population, although so far just 0.9 percent of Malaysians aged between 12-18 have been fully inoculated.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Malaysia has registered 2.23 million Covid-19 cases, including 26,143 deaths. EFE

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