Only 8.6 million Malaysians have registered to receive a vaccine as of Monday.
In addition, a total of 1,018,937 vaccine doses have been administered in the first phase of the programme, comprising 609,153 first doses and 409,784 second doses. With just 1.6% considered to have completed their course of vaccination, Malaysia’s rollout ranks alongside the likes of Jordan and Bolivia.
To encourage their workforce to get their jabs, Target, McDonald’s, Aldi and a host of others are also offering cash incentives or days off to any employee who gets vaccinated. On the private side, OCBC is offering its staff a day off and transport reimbursement to get vaccinated, while local chains Inside Scoop, MyPizzaLab and MyBurgerLab offered discounts to anyone who could show them proof of registration until the end of February.
“We should be encouraging people to get vaccinated to protect each other and save lives in line with ‘Lindungi Diri, Lindungi Semua’ . The discounts for the vaccinated should be seen as just an added benefit.”