PM: Vaccinations for manufacturing workers under Pikas a boost for national recovery plan - The Star Online

KUALA LUMPUR: Effort to vaccinate some 150,000 workers in the critical manufacturing sub-sectors started simultaneously in four states on Wednesday (June 16).

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the rollout of the Program Immunisasi Industri Covid-19 Kerjasama Awam-Swasta (Pikas) in Selangor would help speed up vaccinations in line with the national recovery plan.

“This is crucial to ensure that we effectively achieve the threshold under the first phase of the national recovery plan towards achieving herd immunity for the nation,” he said after witnessing the vaccination process carried out at Texas Instruments here on Wednesday (June 16).

Muhyiddin said the pace of Pikas is expected to pick up in the coming months due to better supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

At present, he said the Pikas pilot project would involve some 150,000 doses.

“It is not that we do not want to carry out vaccinations, we have to distribute the vaccines to others nationwide.

“Vaccines arrive in batches so we are forced to distribute them,” he said.

Texas Instruments set up an in-house vaccination facility to vaccinate 2,371 of its workers.

The Pikas programme was also launched for critical manufacturing sub-sectors in Johor, Penang and Sarawak.

Muhyiddin announced on Tuesday (June 15) that the nation’s Covid-19 recovery plan would move into the second phase once cases drop below 4, 000 and about 10% of the population is fully vaccinated.

The second phase of the plan will see the domestic economy gradually reopening and 80% of workers allowed to work on premises instead of the current 60%.

The positive list of companies allowed to operate during Phase One of the plan will be extended to Phase Two.

Several sectors were added to the list such as cement manufacturing for the construction sector and the sale of computers and electronics, to support the needs of those working from home.

More than 500 companies with a total of 106,591 workers have applied to participate in the Pikas programme.

Also present at the event were International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.