GEORGE TOWN – Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng questioned whether Operation Surge Capacity in the Klang Valley has succeeded in inoculating almost 100% of the adult population in the country with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Lim in a statement today said a similar programme should be set up in Penang, in view of the high daily coronavirus infections and fatalities in the state.
“Why not do the same for Penang? Why wait until September?”
Penang hit a record-high 798 new cases and 15 deaths yesterday, he added.
“This has generated public demand for faster vaccination, especially from those who have registered in February and March, but have yet to be given an appointment.”
He said only 23.6% of the adult population in the state have been fully vaccinated.
More than 80% of Covid-19 cases in Penang involve those who have yet to be immunised.
Lim said a Penang MP acceptable to both the federal and state governments should be appointed, so that political partisanship can be put aside in the interest of public health.
“Further delays mean more infections, more lives lost. Equally important is that faster vaccination will allow the economy to quickly reopen in full.
“I still remember the words of Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing, who lost his brother to Covid-19, who said his brother would still be alive if the vaccine had arrived earlier.
“The rise in daily cases and deaths in Penang has heightened fear and intensified demand for faster vaccination. The question is how to ensure the supply of vaccines arrives earlier or as scheduled.” – The Vibes, August 4, 2021
