Johor Ruler unhappy over low vaccination rate in state

 

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said he was greatly concerned over the rate at which the virus was spreading, especially when it came to the Delta variant. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar tonight expressed disappointment that the vaccination rate in the state remained low, a little over a month after raising similar concerns.

He was also disappointed that it seemed the state had to beg for the immunisation exercise to be ramped up.

Citing statistics from the Covid-19 vaccine supply access guarantee special committee (JKJAV), he said as at Aug 3, only 32.3% of Johoreans had been given their first dose, while only 12.8% were fully vaccinated.

Sultan Ibrahim added that as the Ruler, he was responsible for the people in the state.

“The rate at which the virus is spreading, especially when it comes to the Delta variant, is of great concern.

“The strategy is clear, we need to vaccinate as many as we can, and as soon as possible,” he said in a statement.

In June, Sultan Ibrahim called for Putrajaya to step up its efforts and increase the supply of vaccines to the state to accelerate the vaccination process.

Back then, he was reportedly disappointed that only 10% of Johor’s 3.78 million residents had received the first dose.

In July, he received 20,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine for distribution and was working on getting more Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines in the near future.