Selangor to spend RM200 mil on own Covid-19 vaccination drive

KUALA LUMPUR – The Selangor government has announced its own vaccination drive to complement the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, following the slow inoculation rate in the state.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said 250,000 individuals from certain targeted groups have been identified, with more than 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine to be purchased directly by the state.

In total, he added, the state government will spend RM200 million for the Selangor Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (SCVP), which will focus on the B40 group, senior citizens and teachers, and other high-risk groups.

“The state government has taken note of the Selangor Sultan’s statement yesterday urging for the vaccination here to be expedited and increased, consistent with the high population.

“As a complementary measure to the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, I would like to announced the SCVP, which will help hasten the vaccination rate in the state.”

Amirudin said this when announcing the state’s latest stimulus package called Kita Selangor 2.0, which amounts to RM551.56 million and will benefit some 1.6 million citizens.

He said the state started discussion on the procurement of its own Covid-19 vaccine on February 8, before finalising with a manufacturer of a vaccine that has been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.

Without naming the manufacturer, Amirudin said the vaccine is expected to be supplied in phases to Selangor from month-end, adding that the inoculation exercise will begin next month.

“However, let me stress that I will immediately meet the federal government to discuss the implementation of SCVP, in the hope that the immunisation can be expedited.”

He said details on the vaccine will be announced in due course once the state tables its plan to Putrajaya.

SCVP to expedite vaccination, stock up for future

On why Selangor is procuring its own vaccine despite assurance that enough doses will be supplied by the federal government, Amirudin said: “My justification is clear, it is to expedite the immunisation process.”

The Sg Tua assemblyman at a press conference said if there is an excess supply, the state will use the vaccine for booster shots and those who are approaching 18 years old but have yet to be vaccinated.

“When clinical studies prove that children below 18 and of a certain age can be immunised, we will have vaccine stock for this purpose.”

He said this is particularly important considering 27,402 children, aged between 13 and 17, have been infected by Covid-19 in the country since the start of the pandemic.

On an earlier announcement that private sector employers can purchase their own vaccine, Amirudin said this will not be covered by the Selangor government.

However, he said the move is part of the state’s plan to ensure a whole-of-society approach in achieving herd immunity.

“I have to detail out to the federal government that the cost for this will not be incurred by the employees, but by the employers. So far, the interest is quite high.

“The 500,000 doses I announced will be given for free (to targeted groups), while the rest will be covered by the employers.”

He assured that SCVP will not burden the public health system in the state, which has more than 1,000 private clinics assisting in the programme by acting as a vaccination centre or directly visiting premises and houses.

Free home assessment kit for Covid-19 cases

Amirudin said the Selangor government will be spending RM1.25 million to issue home assessment kits to Covid-19 patients undergoing home quarantine in the state.

The kit will include an oximeter, thermometer, KN95 face mask, relevant medicines and saliva test kit, which will allow patients to self-assess their health condition.

Amirudin said this will reduce congestion at Covid-19 assessment centres and other health facilities, adding that the kits will be distributed by community activity centres.

The decision to issue the kits follows a hike in “brought in dead” (BID) cases nationwide, which he said is partly caused by the inability of health personnel to assess patients due to a high number of cases.

“Selangor has the second-highest number of BID cases, with 27% of the overall 293 in the country. With the kits, patients can check their oxygen level, for example,” he said, adding that the kits will be issued for free. – The Vibes, June 9, 2021