PUTRAJAYA, Feb 24 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today gave his thumbs-up to the Covid-19 vaccination process, after taking his first jab to roll out the national immunisation programme.

“I did not feel anything at all. It was all over before I realised it; just like a normal injection. Don’t worry, come forward anytime,” he said at a ceremony aired live on local television.

He expressed his gratitude for the vaccination, saying it is safe and effective.

As such, he urged Malaysians and foreigners staying in the country to sign up for the immunisation programme via the MySejahtera application.

“So, be confident in and trust that the efforts made by this government are to ensure that we can break the Covid-19 chain of infection. InsyaAllah, we will succeed.

“Once again I would like to urge the people to come together and support the government’s efforts to ensure that our country, InsyaAllah can be free from the Covid-19 pandemic within a short period,” he added.

The prime minister received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shot at the Putrajaya Health Office in Precinct 11 here, which is among the Vaccine Dispensing Centres (PPV) identified for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Also taking their vaccine shots today were Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and four personnel of the Health Ministry.

The national immunisation programme, themed Protect Oneself, Protect Everyone, will be implemented in three phases, with the first phase from February to April 2021 for 500,000 frontliners.

Phase two from April to August is for senior citizens aged 65 and above, high-risk groups and people with disabilities involving 9.4 million people, while phase three is from May 2021 to February 2022, for those aged 18 and above, covering more than 13.7 million people.

The government is targeting to get at least 80 per cent of the people vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to curb and end the pandemic.

Malaysia received its first batch 312,390 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Sunday. — Bernama