Govt to keep dangling carrot of vaccination but stick is not far behind - KJ

 

The government will continue to provide certain privileges to those who have received a complete Covid-19 vaccination to encourage more people into doing it voluntarily, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

However, Khairy warned that a strict approach is still not off the table, where he may suggest for Putrajaya to enforce a federal mandate that compels individuals to be inoculated against the coronavirus.

"My preferred outcome, if you have no medical reason, any reason not to be vaccinated, then go and get vaccinated.

"I have not come to the stage where I would recommend to the cabinet a federal mandate, but I am not far from it though," he told a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday.

Khairy, who has sworn in as the health minister four days ago, was answering a question regarding those who refuse to get vaccinated, whether they should be allowed to work with others in a physical workplace.

The question came as Khairy earlier assured parents that the government is trying to create a safe environment in schools by getting educators and support staff inoculated, to ensure a safer environment for students.

For the record, to date, there has yet to be a Covid-19 vaccine that is approved for children under 12.

For now, taking the Covid-19 vaccine is not mandatory

The minister said the issue of refusing vaccines is faced not only by the education sector but also other industries.

For now, Khairy said, the government maintains its policy of not making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory, but they encourage sectoral persuasion.

"Sectoral persuasion is not law, it's not a federal mandate. But if a particular company says if you want to come for a meeting, or you want to come to work you have to be vaccinated, then that is up to that company.

"And if schools decide to encourage it, or decide to persuade teachers to do it, then that must be the case," he said.

On Aug 29, the 1,000,000th Covid-19 vaccine was given at the PVV at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur

According to the minister, to date, 96.5 percent of 412,000 teachers in the country have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 83.5 percent of the total figure have completed two doses.

For school support staff, Khairy said 84.8 percent have received at least one dose.

He said the ministry is also looking at other options to deal with those who refuse to get a vaccination.

This includes introducing a national testing policy, which requires those who refuse to get vaccinated to adhere to a certain testing schedule.

"So those who refuse to vaccinate will have a certain schedule and regime of testing they need to adhere to.

"We will come up with a policy, a national testing policy, to hopefully take into account those who refuse to be vaccinated," he said.

On a related matter, Khairy said a committee of experts is expected to come up with their recommendations, by the end of September, on whether a booster dose for the Covid-19 vaccine is needed. - Mkini