MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said companies with a large workforce who live in centralised accommodation, such as those in construction, must be given priority and included immediately.

“The living conditions and working environment of these industries are far more conducive to the spread of Covid-19 as the workers are working and living in close proximity.

“Priority must be given to those who need the vaccines now to avoid infection,” he said in a statement today.

In addition, Syed Hussain said employers from other sectors of the economy were also eager to participate in the scheme, in which on-site vaccinations will be held at certain factories and industrial locations from Wednesday.

At present, priority is given to employees in the manufacturing sub-sectors, including electrical and electronics, food processing, iron and steel, medical devices, personal protective equipment, oil and gas, and rubber products, including medical glove manufacturing sub-sectors.

He said about 500 companies, with a total of 106,591 workers, are believed to have applied to voluntarily participate in the vaccination scheme.

The costs for vaccination to be borne by employers is about RM45 per employee. “This is reasonable and acceptable as the government would bear the cost of the vaccines,” he said.

He urged the government to consider granting a tax rebate or tax exemption to cover the costs incurred by the companies.