BALIK PULAU – As much as 35% of individuals who registered in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme are no-shows in the Bayan Baru southwest district.
Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said authorities have yet to detect the causes for the absenteeism, but acknowledged that the high rejection rate hinders the ability to achieve herd immunity in the state and country.
He urged the government to determine the reasons for this low turnout.
The no-shows also lead to Covid-19 vaccine wastage, as the shots may be thrown away as they need to be kept refrigerated, he added.
“We need to do something to speed up the vaccination drive, or we will be stuck in a rut of Covid-19.”
Sim also hopes that the additional national immunisation centre that was recently set up at the Bayan Baru community hall near the main market can boost the vaccination rate as the centre can cater up to 800 people daily.
Presently, the only immunisation centre in the district is at the Balik Pulau sports complex.
Sim said in an interview that as of today, only 4% of those who registered in Penang have received their first dose, while only 2.2% have received both doses.
To achieve herd immunity, the state needs some 80% of its estimated 1.6 million population needs to be vaccinated.
“The projection is a let-down as it runs contrary to the earlier estimate of inoculating 200,000 people a day under Phase 2 of the immunisation exercise,” said Sim.
More must be done to expedite the programme, he added, citing that the United States and the United Kingdom have started to see a drop in active Covid-19 cases after their mass vaccination drives.
He said Bayan Baru was among the top 10 districts in the country to register for the vaccination, as 70% of those who have addresses in the constituency have signed up. – The Vibes, May 9, 2021
