Malaysia will allow people to use AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine on a voluntary basis and exclude the shots from its inoculation scheme amid public concerns. “People are concerned about the safety of the vaccine despite science and data showing it safe and effective,” Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Wednesday. “We want to deal with these concerns to avoid disrupting the immunisation programme.” Malaysia, which received its first batch of the shots through the global Covax Facility late last week, will allow those aged 18 and above to take the vaccine on a “first come, first served basis” after a pre-screening by doctors, Khairy said. “We don’t want to waste a vaccine that is proven to be safe and effective,” he said. The shots will be administered in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor, where coronavirus cases remain high. Malaysian host Neelofa and family fined US$14k for breaching Covid-19 rules Malaysia’s health authorities approved AstraZeneca’s vaccine for those aged 60 or older on Monday, and said instances of blood clotting reported in some countries were rare and the vaccine could reduce the number of admissions to hospitals as well as deaths. The country secured a total of 12.8 million doses from AstraZeneca in December, half of which will be procured via the Covax Facility. It got the first batch of 268,800 shots last week. Malaysia has secured Covid-19 vaccines from various producers, enough to inoculate nearly 110 per cent of the population, Khairy said. Inoculated South Koreans exempt from mandatory quarantine In South Korea , the government on Wednesday said it would offer some exemptions to mandatory quarantine measures for people who have been fully inoculated against Covid-19, in a bid to encourage more vaccinations. The country has so far vaccinated 4 per cent of its 52 million people, but has set an ambitious target of giving shots to 70 per cent of its people by September and reaching herd immunity by November. From May 5, residents who have had both coronavirus vaccine shots will not have to undergo the mandatory two-week quarantine for people who have been in contact with a confirmed patient or have returned from overseas travel, said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official. Korean dairy firm in sticky spot after claim its yogurt kills Covid-19 The exemption will only apply for those with a negative Covid-19 test and who show no related symptoms. It will not apply to residents arriving from nations such as South Africa and Brazil where coronavirus variants are prevalent and to people who are vaccinated in foreign countries. South Korea has procured a total 192 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, enough to administer close to twice its population, including those from Pfizer, AstraZeneca Plc , Moderna Inc, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. It has inoculated around 2.68 million people so far with AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines and aims to vaccinate 12 million people by June, although there has been growing vaccine hesitancy due to concerns over reports of blood clotting disorders. Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki said the country’s November target of reaching herd immunity could be moved up if manufacturers honoured their supply deals. “I’d rather be cautious than say the exact timing, but we’ll do our best to move up the November target,” Hong said on Wednesday in a press briefing. Cambodia introduces zone system in capital Authorities in Cambodia ’s capital Phnom Penh have adjusted the city’s lockdown measures, introducing a colour-coded system with varying levels of restrictions. Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Nuon Pharoth told reporters on Wednesday that new rules would be re-evaluated in a week and updated depending on where outbreaks were occurring. The system includes red zones, orange zones and yellow zones, which represent areas with high, medium and low caseloads, respectively. Red zones remain under full lockdown. There, residents must only leave their homes for emergencies and the government has taken over food supply. Phnom Penh garment workers, vendors go hungry as lockdown extended In an audio message on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Hun Sen said people within red zones aged over 18 would be prioritised for vaccination. In orange zones, residents can leave for food, medical supplies and limited exercise, while only essential businesses are permitted to operate. Yellow zones, meanwhile, mark a relative easing of restrictions. Residents can travel and gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed. A curfew between 8pm and 5am is still in place. Phnom Penh and a neighbouring district enforced a lockdown on April 15 amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The country, which had less than 500 infections in the first year of the pandemic, has recorded more than 11,000 cases since February. Thai tycoons aid in vaccination effort Thailand’s top business groups offered to join the government in a mass roll-out of Covid-19 vaccination from June as the nation grapples with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha met representatives of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Bankers Association and the Tourism Council of Thailand on Wednesday and identified specific roles for the private sector in the roll-out that aims to cover 70 per cent of the population by the end of this year. Billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont’s Charoen Pokphand Group and VGI PCL are among firms that have agreed to take part in the programme, according to a government statement. As Covid surges, Thai PM faces crisis of confidence stoked by Thaksin Thai owners of malls, commercial real estate and industrial parks will provide spaces for vaccination camps once the country receives more vaccines from June, while other businesses will assist in distribution and logistics, communication with the public and procurement of more doses, the government said. “With this vaccination plan, we can be confident that the country can reopen next year and that the country should be able to move forward,” Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said after the meeting. A plan to reopen Phuket to fully vaccinated foreign tourists from July remains on track, he said. Governments in Asia remain alert Elsewhere in Asia, governments remained on high alert. According to Vietnam ’s Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, the country faces a “very high” threat of a new virus outbreak, with the government concerned over possible new outbreaks tied to visitors from abroad. The country on Tuesday reported its first domestic virus case since March 25, after a hotel worker tested positive following contact with 11 quarantined visitors from India . What to know about the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble The Singapore government on Tuesday said five workers living at a dormitory had likely been reinfected by Covid-19. Dorms were at the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country last year, so when cases were discovered at the Westlite Woodlands dorm this month, more than 1,100 people living in the same block as the infected workers were quarantined. A total of 24 positive cases has been uncovered and are being investigated. Pakistan’s death toll on Wednesday rose to 17,530 after it recorded 210 new coronavirus-related casualties in the deadliest day since the pandemic began. The total number of cases reached 810,231 with the addition of 5,292 new infections. Additional reporting by Bloomberg, dpa, Reuters