GEORGE TOWN – More than 900,000 people out of Penang’s 1.7 million population have registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, as the state government ramps up efforts to increase accessibility to vaccinations.
In a statement today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said of the 900,073 individuals who have registered, 162,007 have received the first vaccine dose, and 79,844, both doses.
The state needs at least 1.5 million of its population – including foreign workers, expatriates and refugees – to be fully vaccinated so as to achieve herd immunity, he said.
Penang continues to be a red zone, recording an average of 200 to 300 Covid-19 cases daily over the past week, and with two deaths logged yesterday. Its active cases stand at 1,347, while total fatalities have exceeded 100.
Chow said at present, there are seven vaccination centres (PPVs) operating in all of the state’s five districts.
They are Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang and the Sg Nibong Pesta site (Timur Laut district), Balik Pulau sports complex (Barat Daya), Dewan Milenium (Seberang Prai Utara), Dewan SP Arena and the Seberang Jaya expo site (Seberang Prai Tengah), and the Jawi multipurpose hall (Seberang Prai Selatan).
“These PPVs’ operations include four government hospitals specially catered to the group with comorbidities, making for a total of 8,500 doses administered daily,” said Chow.
“The Bayan Baru community hall in Barat Daya district, with a capacity of 800 doses daily, will start operating on June 22, followed by the Perda Convention Centre in Seberang Prai Utara (1,000 doses daily) and Sg Bakap multipurpose hall in Seberang Prai Selatan (1,200 doses) soon afterwards.”
The mega PPV at the Setia SPICE Arena in Bayan Baru began operations last week, with a capacity of 3,000 doses a day.
“Thanks to the collaboration between the state government, state Health Department and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), two PPVs will be set up at USM’s main campus in Batu Uban, as well as the Medical and Dental Development Centre at USM Bertam, with a total capacity of 1,400 doses daily,” said Chow.
“For economic frontliners, they can head to the PPVs at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort, which will be operational tomorrow, and Equatorial Hotel, to open on June 28, with an expected capacity of 2,500 doses daily.”
He said on-site PPVs involving three multinational corporations, with a projected capacity of 4,000 doses daily, are subject to feedback from the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
“For private hospital PPVs, in addition to the three – Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Pantai Hospital and KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital – that have been operating since June 7, Loh Guan Lye Hospital, along with 10 private clinics, started operating as PPVs yesterday, with a vaccination rate of 956 doses daily.” – The Vibes, June 15, 2021
