Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced a COVID-19 care package initiative that will distribute items to help low-income families navigate through the pandemic and alleviate the costs of some essential health devices. Each family will receive four reusable masks, a pulse oximeter for keeping tabs on blood oxygen saturation, four COVID-19 self-test kits, a thermometer, and an informational guide on using the items and keeping healthy.
The government has allocated RM471.6 million for the Pakej Penjagaan COVID-19 (PPC) and will distribute the care packages to 3.6 million B40 families, including 8.4 million Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) recipients. The distribution will start with married households with or without children and single parents with children.
The announcement does not mention whether or not B40 singles will eventually receive the package, nor does it mention the date or method of distribution. Khairy Jamaluddin, minister of health, is expected to release the details of PPC soon.
Alongside the PPC, the government also announced that they will be giving out third-dose booster shots to those in high-risk groups soon, some time after Malaysia achieves a fully-vaccinated rate of 80%. Aysha Ridzuan, the health minister’s social media officer, says that this move has already been initiated by Singapore, France, Germany, Belgium, and the UK.
(Source: PMO // Image: Stanley Ng/Pexels)
