KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The purchase of an additional six million doses of Covid-19 vaccine shows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s commitment and concern in ensuring that the government finds a way to fight the pandemic, said Health Ministry (MOH) secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah.

In welcoming the announcement, he said the additional vaccine doses would be able to increase coverage of the existing vaccination programme to include people from all walks of life.

"In terms of total breakdown, to date, 53.4 per cent of the adult population are fully vaccinated. The entire MOH family will continue to stay committed and focused to successfully deal with the pandemic,” he said in a statement.

In his maiden national address as the prime minister today, Ismail Sabri announced an additional purchase of six million doses of Covid-19 vaccine which will arrive early next month.

The effort, he said, was to catalyse the achievement of herd immunity as in Labuan, where  90 per cent of the adult population have been vaccinated. — Bernama