Malaysia’s Daily Covid Cases May Dip Below 1,000 in Last Quarter
Malaysia’s Daily Covid Cases May Dip Below 1,000 in Last Quarter
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s new Covid-19 cases are expected to fall below 1,000 a day in October and November if the Southeast Asian nation is able to sustain its current vaccination pace, Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said.
Daily infections climbed to a record for a third day on Thursday, surpassing 13,000 for the first time. Selangor continued to account for the majority of the cases, as more than 50,000 people in the nation’s most industrialized state were tested, Noor Hisham said.
“Cases will increase in line with higher screenings,” he said. More than 135,000 people were screened nationwide today and over 90% of Thursday’s tally comprised mild Covid cases, he added.
Malaysia has sped up its vaccine roll-out in recent weeks, with the daily rate topping a record 400,000 doses for three straight days this week. One-quarter of the population has received at least one dose and 12.3% have been fully inoculated.
The nation aims to increase that number to 60% by end-September and expects to achieve herd immunity before the year ends.
The government will offer walk-in vaccination for senior citizens in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur effective immediately, Health Minister Adham Baba said at the briefing. Vaccination centers catering to industries will be allowed to run 24 hours a day, he said.
Other highlights from the briefing:
- Malaysia will stop using shots made by China’s Sinovac once its supplies end, as the country has a sufficient stock of other vaccines, mainly Pfizer
- It has secured 73.5 million doses of vaccines in total, of which Pfizer-BioNTech accounts for 44.8 million doses
- The country in February signed an agreement for Sinovac Biotech to supply 14 million doses in stages to cover 22% of the population
- The drug regulator will announce conditional approval for use of Sinopharm shots on Friday, making it the nation’s sixth vaccine
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