MELAKA – A total of 17,053 companies have registered under the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas), as of yesterday.
Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Lim Ban Hong said of the 1.3 million workers involved, 298,306 have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 28,596 have completed both doses.
“Vaccination is an important element in economic recovery, and we hope the initiative to open up Pikas vaccination centres (PPVs) can help achieve the target of fully vaccinating all adult population nationwide by October.
“We also hope that more Pikas PPVs will be opened soon, so the process of inoculating industrial workers can be expedited,” he told reporters after visiting the Pikas common PPV at Bayou Convention Centre here today.
He said 12 common PPVs and 22 on-site PPVs are involved in administering the shot to industrial workers throughout the country.
The common PPVs will manage vaccination for more than one company, while on-site PPVs are specifically for factories with more than 1,000 workers.
“This is to reduce the movement of workers to other PPVs,” said Lim, adding that the setting up of on-site PPVs will be considered based on requirement.
He said the PPV at Bayou Convention Centre, which will start operations tomorrow, is the first centre in such category in Melaka, and could accommodate up to 1,500 recipients a day.
A total of 15,000 doses of the vaccine have been approved by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force for the PPV, and the ministry has requested for an additional 35,000 doses, he added.
“We have also submitted applications for the opening of two common PPVs and an on-site PPV in Melaka. We are awaiting operation dates from the task force.” – Bernama, July 25, 2021
