GEORGE TOWN – Penang needs some 700,000 more people to register for Covid-19 vaccination to enable the state to achieve herd immunity against.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that as at Sunday, some 555,000 people have registered out of the state’s estimated 1. 7million population.
To achieve herd immunity, at least 70% to 80% of the population needs to be inoculated.
This would roughly translate to 1.3million out of the 1.7 million population in Penang needing to receive the jabs for the state’s virus inoculation drive to be effective, Jagdeep said.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the SM (Private) Han Chiang school in Datuk Keramat here, Jagdeep urged more residents to register and to accept the vaccine as part of the world’s fight against the virus.
“It is pointless if a small number of people are taking the vaccine as we will never be able to shake off the virus. We want the cooperation of everyone here. We cannot let our guard down.”
Jagdeep praised the high level of discipline of the residents here, saying that since March last year, a total of 1.72 million checks were conducted on all commercial and some private premises and almost everybody adhered to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“The compliance rate was over 99%. It is good and we must continue to stay vigilant.”
Jagdeep also urged the Health Ministry to consider recognisisng teachers as frontliners, saying that there are about 500,000 teachers in the country who need to be vaccinated.
Jagdeep said that he was informed that 55,539 teachers were scheduled to be jabbed in the first phase.
It should be a priority since schools have now reopened, he said.
Jagdeep said that the number of cases in Penang is now 16,808. of which 816 remained active while 15,971 have recovered from their infection.
There were a total of 21 deaths in Penang, while close to 45,000 have been vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Penang Medical Practitioners Society president Dr Parmjit Singh said that the state had been praised for its containment efforts until the last six months, when its daily figures averaged in the three-digit.
“It is unsettling but the fight to suppress the virus must continue at all costs,” he said.
Parmjit urged the public to stay vigilant as the virus has not gone away despite the mass vaccination exercise currently underway. – The Vibes, April 6, 2021
