THE Federal Government must ensure smooth supply of vaccines without any disruption, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
“It is crucial for Penang to receive consistent vaccine supply. We have mobilised our resources, and more Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPVs) are already operating.
“We are working towards achieving herd immunity by the end of October this year,” he said during his visit to KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital in Bukit Mertajam on 16 June.
The hospital is among the many PPVs in Penang.
Later in the afternoon, he visited another PPV at the Seberang Jaya expo site.
Chow said that Penang could speed up its vaccination process if it has adequate vaccine supply.
“The number of new Covid-19 cases will also be reduced when more people have been vaccinated.
“The Federal Government, through the Health Ministry, must ensure smooth delivery of vaccines to the PPVs,” he said.
Chow added that it is important to speed up the transition phases of the National Recovery Plan which was announced by the Prime Minister.
Also present were state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud, Central Seberang Perai OCPD Asst Comm Shafee Abd Samad and KPJ Penang chief executive officer Zabidi Abdul Razak.
According to Chow, a total of 900,860 people (65.9%) in Penang had registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) as of June 15.
“This is good, as it shows more than 60% of the population in Penang have registered for the vaccination programme.
“Meanwhile, a total of 170,419 people have received their first dose; while 81,702 have completed their second dose,” he said.
Chow urged more people to register for the NIP.
Meanwhile, Zabidi said a total of 1,600 individuals had been inoculated at KPJ Penang since it started operating as a PPV on June 7.
“Each day, we will administer 200 doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
“At the same time, we are also helping other PPVs, such as the Seberang Jaya expo site. We provide our manpower to assist the staff at the site.
“We have also been sending experienced nurses to the field intensive care unit (ICU) at Kepala Batas Hospital to help the frontliners there,” he added.
Over at the PPV at Seberang Jaya expo site, Central Seberang Perai health officer Dr Noraishah Jaafar has urged all eligible Covid-19 vaccine recipients to turn up for their appointments.
“Our capacity is currently 600 recipients daily. We have started administering the vaccines from June 13.
“We have managed to vaccinate more than 400 people daily. We have yet to hit our capacity. I am sure that can be improved,” Dr Noraishah said.
Story by Riadz Akmal and Kevin Vimal
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar and Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis and Ahmad Adil Muhamad