PETALING JAYA: The Special Committee to Address Covid-19 will now be known as the Special Committee on Pandemic Management, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced.

       The Prime Minister said the committee will also include members of the Opposition.

       "This approach is one of the collective efforts to involve all stakeholders to ensure that the country's recovery goes as planned, in line with the spirit of the 'Malaysian Family' (concept)," he said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 2).

       Pakatan Harapan leaders had said on Aug 25 that the coalition will consider Ismail Sabri's invitation for the opposition bloc to join the National Recovery Council and Special Committee on Tackling Covid-19.

       In his maiden speech as Prime Minister on Aug 22, Ismail Sabri extended an olive branch to Opposition leaders, inviting them to join the National Recovery Council and Covid-19 Special Committee.

       "Alhamdullilah, today (Sept 2) is the first time in several months, that the national infectivity rate or R-naught across the country is below 1.0, and I am confident that we are on the right track towards national recovery," he added in Thursday's statement.

       The last time the country’s infectivity rate had registered below 1.0 was in late June.

       The Prime Minister said based on data from the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), all states are projected to reach a vaccination level of 80% of the adult population by the end of September.

       "I am confident that a 100% vaccination rate may even be achieved by October, giving protection to the Malaysian Family," he noted.

       He added that the whole Malaysian Family must be prepared to live with Covid-19 as it moves towards the endemic phase after October when the vaccination rollout is expected to be completed.

       "So, the Health Ministry has been ordered to prepare a new suitable pandemic and endemic strategy aside from fully observing standard operating procedures," he said.

       He also welcomed the call to implement a behavioural change, announced by the Health Ministry on Wednesday (Sept 1).

       Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said then that being in the endemic phase would see more sectors reopened with new Covid-19 norms being practised.