Prison inmates, migrant workers should be priority vaccine recipients - Khairy

Khairy Jamaluddin has opined that prison inmates and migrant workers should also be given priority as Covid-19 vaccine recipients because they are exposed to the pandemic.

At a press conference today, the science, technology and innovation minister said the cabinet has discussed at length on the drafting of Covid-19 inoculation recommendation list in its meeting earlier today.

Following this, the special committee on Covid-19 vaccine supply chaired by him and the health minister will discuss the matter tomorrow and it will submit a recommendation to the cabinet next month.

"If you ask me, of course, the prison inmates should be high on the priority list," Khairy said, adding that they are exposed to Covid-19 clusters and they have no way to run as they are restricted to the confined places.

Similarly, he said, migrant workers should also be prioritised to receive the vaccine.

He said the Covid-19 vaccine priority list would be decided based on risk assessment, which included any group of people who risk being affected and if they are vulnerable from the worst effect of the coronavirus.

Khairy said this when asked if he would receive the vaccine together with the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was reported to be among the first individuals in the country who will receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

"Let me address this very important issue on politicians getting vaccines. The committee is working on a prioritisation list that is based on risk assessment.

"I don't look at you and say you are politicians and you should get it first or last. I look at you, at your responsibility, and we analyse how likely it is that you can become someone who spreads the virus or gets the disease," he said.

Based on this, Khairy concluded that the frontliners, together with politicians and even media personnel, face a higher risk of being infected. Thus they should be priority recipients.

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