Two days ago, an article on the race by countries to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 by vaccinating three quarters of their population against the disease gave the following chart:
| Nation | Doses given (million) | Population Coverage (%) | Vaccination Rate (doses per day) | Estimated time needed to achieve herd immunity from May |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel | 10.6 | 58.4 | 4,595 | 22 months |
| UK | 61.4 | 46 | 5,801,439 | 2 months |
| USA | 288 | 44.9 | 1,750,524 | 4 months |
| Singapore | 3.41 | 29.9 | 38,534 | 4 months |
| Germany | 45.4 | 27.3 | 679,567 | 4 months |
| France | 34 | 26.2 | 520,616 | 4 months |
| China | 527 | 18.8 | 15,037,429 | 3 months |
| Brazil | 64 | 15.2 | 663,323 | 12 months |
| India | 200 | 7.3 | 2,104,068 | 2.4 years |
| Malaysia | 2.48 | 3.8 | 69,658 | 22 months |
| Thailand | 3.02 | 2.2 | 97,617 | 2.8 years |
| Vietnam | 1.03 | 0.5 | 3,655 | >10 years |
If Malaysia requires 22 months to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19, that will take us to March 2023.
This is both against the original NIP (National Immunisation Programme) timeline of February 2022 to reach herd immunity as well as the instruction of the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to accelerate and complete the national vaccine rollout in 2021 itself.
If the United States, Singapore, Germany and France can achieve herd immunity in four months, and China in three months, there is no reason why Malaysia should not accelerate its national vaccine rollout to achieve herd immunity by Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021, which will make Malaysia Day this year particularly significant.
As time is an imperative in the deadly war against the Covid-19 pandemic, Khairy should reveal the latest time-line for Malaysia to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 whether in 2011 itself, 2012 or 2013.
If Malaysia will only achieve herd immunity in the second half of 2012 or in 2013, then those who received vaccination this year may no more be included among those with Covid-19 immunity, unless they get a booster or another vaccination.
Khairy should share with Malaysians these aspects of the NIP.
Those in authority must realise that the slow and tardy national vaccination rollout has become the nation’s Achilles’ heel in the war against the Covid-19 Pandemic and that although Covid-19 vaccines are not the silver bullet to end the pandemic, they are definitely a game-changer in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the government claims that it has adequate supplies of vaccines for the Malaysian population, there is no justification for the government to monopolise vaccine purchase and deny private sector requests to buy the vaccine on their own.
It is shocking that in the 17th month of the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.
The latest example is the call by the Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah to medical professionals to volunteer their services to assist in battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noor Hisham said that all costs during the volunteering period would be borne by the individual themselves as the ministry would not be providing any transportation, lodging, food or allowances but Khairy had said in April that the government’s RM5 billion allocation for the national immunisation programme comprise honoraria for health volunteers.
In any event, why is the Muhyiddin government being so niggardly in approving legitimate expenses for the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.
I call on the Prime Minister to ensure that the Health Ministry has adequate financial resources in the war against Covid-19 pandemic — another reason why the suspension of Parliament is crippling an all-out effort in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic!
Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, May 30, 2021
