# COVID-19 in Malaysia: The Pandemic Response and Its Legacy

> A factual chronology of Malaysia's public health response to COVID-19 — from the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the PICK immunisation programme to lasting effects on the health system such as MySejahtera and the 2023 Health White Paper.

- Category: healthcare
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-01
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/healthcare/covid-19-pandemic-response-and-legacy

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On 18 March 2020, roads across Malaysia fell silent as the country entered a phase unlike anything in its modern history: a sweeping restriction on movement to curb the spread of COVID-19. Over roughly the next two years, the country's public health response evolved from a nationwide lockdown into one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the region — and left an imprint that still shapes the health system today.

This article presents a factual chronology of the public health response. It deliberately does not address the political debates and emergency powers that unfolded in parallel, and it presents differing views neutrally without taking any position.

## How did Malaysia lock down the country?

The first national Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced by the then Prime Minister and enforced from 18 March 2020, originally until 31 March 2020. As case numbers kept climbing, the order was extended several times before shifting to looser versions.

The chronology of the main phases, according to the record, is as follows:

| Phase | Period (reference) | Key features |
|------|------------------|------------|
| MCO | Began 18 March 2020, extended until mid-May 2020 | Sweeping movement restrictions; most sectors closed |
| Conditional MCO (CMCO) | Began around 4 May 2020 | Some economic sectors reopened with SOPs |
| Recovery MCO (RMCO) | 10 June 2020 to 31 December 2020 | Most activities allowed with preventive measures |
| CMCO again (selected areas) | October–December 2020 | Enforced in Sabah, Selangor, KL and other states as cases surged |
| MCO 2.0 | Early 2021 | Re-enforced following a new wave |

This approach was rotated according to the outbreak situation in each state, with transitions between tight and loose restrictions depending on case counts and hospital capacity.

## How many were infected and died?

The pandemic's impact on lives was most pronounced in 2021. According to a study analysing official data, there were 29,155 COVID-19-related deaths in Malaysia as of 3 November 2021.

Of that total:

- 23,252 deaths (79.8%) occurred among inpatients.
- 5,903 cases (20.2%) were "brought-in-dead" (BID) cases — deaths before or upon arrival at hospital.
- Most deaths occurred in 2021 (28,641 cases, or 98.2%), compared with only 514 deaths throughout 2020.

This pattern illustrates how the Delta variant wave in mid-2021 placed enormous strain on the hospital system before vaccine coverage became widespread.

## How was the PICK vaccination programme carried out?

The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, or PICK, was launched on 24 February 2021. Malaysia used a multi-vaccine portfolio, chiefly three types: Sinovac (CoronaVac), Pfizer (BNT162b2) and AstraZeneca (AZD1222).

The programme was carried out in phases:

1. **Phase 1** — frontline workers.
2. **Phase 2** — senior citizens aged 60 and above, high-risk groups and persons with disabilities.
3. **Phase 3** — the entire adult population aged 18 and above.

The pace of vaccination rose sharply in mid-2021. Daily doses at one point surpassed 500,000 in July 2021, and "Operation Surge Capacity" was launched that same month to accelerate vaccination in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. By June 2022, 71.2 million doses had been administered, with 27.3 million people, or 84.2% of the population, fully vaccinated. One projection reported in July 2022 estimated that vaccines had helped avert up to 17,000 deaths in Malaysia.

## What was MySejahtera's role and why did it become a subject of debate?

The MySejahtera app was launched on 20 April 2020 and became the main tool for contact tracing, health status checks, location check-ins, and later vaccination appointment management. It was developed by KPISoft Malaysia Sdn Bhd (now Entomo Malaysia Sdn Bhd), which provided the initial development as a corporate social responsibility initiative from 27 March 2020 to 31 March 2021.

The app later prompted public debate over ownership and data. There were concerns over whether the app was wholly owned by the government and how users' personal data was managed. Parties such as Transparency International Malaysia raised concerns about the transparency of the related processes.

In response, the Cabinet approved the transfer of full ownership of MySejahtera to the Ministry of Health as sole custodian on 26 November 2021. On 31 March 2022, the then Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, affirmed that the government owned the app's intellectual property, modules and source code, as well as all data collected through it, while the developer company operated merely as the platform operator. This article presents both the public concerns and the government's clarification as facts, without taking a position.

## What is the pandemic's legacy for the health system?

The pandemic exposed structural strains on Malaysia's public health system, including imbalances in resource distribution between the public and private sectors and the heavy workload borne by health workers. These issues became part of the backdrop to a larger reform effort.

On 15 June 2023, Parliament passed the Health White Paper prepared by the Ministry of Health. The document outlines a phased 15-year reform of the health system, divided into three phases (short-term 1–5 years, medium-term 6–10 years, and long-term 11–15 years). It is built around four main pillars:

- **Transforming service delivery** — strengthening primary health care as the first point of contact, supported by electronic medical records.
- **Health promotion and disease prevention** — shifting towards data-driven preventive care.
- **Sustainable and equitable financing** — including a goal of raising public health spending towards 5% of GDP.
- **Strengthened governance** — separating the role of strategic purchaser from that of service provider.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the White Paper received bipartisan approval in Parliament in 2023 and focuses on needs such as an ageing population, lifestyle changes and resilience against emerging health threats.

## What's next

Malaysia has shifted from pandemic management to an endemic phase, with sweeping restrictions ended and attention moving to long-term recovery of the health system. Relevant developments ahead include the phased implementation of the Health White Paper, improvements to the public health workforce supply, and the continued use of digital infrastructure such as MySejahtera in health services.

This draft was prepared with AI assistance and requires human review. All figures and dates should be re-verified against the latest official sources, such as the Ministry of Health's COVIDNOW/KKMNOW dashboards, before publication.

## Sources

- Chronology of MCO phases in the country — https://bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=1920867 (Bernama)
- Examining Malaysia's Covid-19 vaccination response — https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/health/the-doctor-says/2025/11/25/examining-malaysias-covid-19-vaccination-response (The Star)
- Khairy: Government Owns MySejahtera App's IP, Personal Data, Source Code — https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2022/03/khairy-government-owns-mysejahtera-apps-ip-personal-data-source-code/ (CodeBlue, Galen Centre)
- Malaysia Health White Paper 2023: Malaysia's Path To Health System Reform Through Public-Private Partnerships — https://www.mondaq.com/healthcare/1348400/malaysia-health-white-paper-2023-malaysias-path-to-health-system-reform-through-public-private-partnerships (Mondaq)
- Malaysia impact story (Investment Round) — https://www.who.int/about/funding/invest-in-who/investment-round/four-years-forward/malaysia-impact-story (World Health Organization)
- COVID-19 Inpatient Deaths and Brought-in-Dead Cases in Malaysia — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9298663/ (PMC (National Library of Medicine))

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