KUALA LUMPUR: Any interruptions to the national immunisation programme to vaccinate the public and tackle the Covid-19 pandemic could possibly lead to negative economic implications, says Khairy Jamaluddin.
In voicing his concerns, the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said it is also imperative that there are no hiccups to the implementation of the programme, failing which the government could be forced to continue the existing movement control measures.
Khairy called on the public to lend their support for the national Covid-19 immunisation programme which is set to roll out at the end of the month.
"When the time comes for us to receive the vaccine, do not delay in registering. This will help us meet our target of achieving herd immunity, and thus accelerating the process of the nation's economic recovery.
"I would like to stress again that the vaccines obtained by Malaysia are safe and effective. This has been tested upon tens of thousands of recipients prior to being approved. Millions of people around the world have already been inoculated.
"There is no proof that the vaccine can endanger lives or health. The vaccine will not change the recipient's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) makeup. The vaccine does not contain any microchip that can take over our thoughts.
"The vaccine is not an Illuminati agenda to establish a New World Order. It was created by science. We need to place our faith in science, not conspiracy theories making their rounds in our family or neighbourhood WhatsApp groups which cite fake sources.
"Science must win," he said in a statement posted on his website, Khairykj.com, today.
He said that with the faith placed in science and the vaccine, the country would be able to get as many people vaccinated as possible, which would subsequently see the number of Covid-19 infections and the number of people in Intensive Care Units (ICU) begin to reduce.
He said once this is achieved, the government would then have the basis to allow even more economic and social activities to operate without too many restrictions.
"This would be the immediate effect a successful immunisation programme would have on economic recovery. They are intertwined.
"For Malaysia, the World Bank has forecast that we would continue to grow at a rate of 6.7 in 20201, subject to the smoothness and effectiveness of the immunisation programme, increase in export standings as well as level of investment in Malaysia.
"The success of the immunisation programme is important to ensure that the projections are achieved. Economic recovery will be smoother when even more economic activities are allowed to reopen.
"As an example, when the national borders are reopened, badly-hit sectors such as aviation and tourism can resume operations. The same applies to factories which can then run without risk of closure due to infection among workers.
"The continued economic chain will enable the economic cycle to run smoothly, which would benefit not only the country but also the daily lives of the people," he said.