PPV closures in Penang 'ridiculous' - Guan Eng

 

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has come out strongly against federal agencies who he said were responsible for the shortage of supplies leading to the closures of four vaccination centres (PPV) in Penang.

"DAP elected representatives in Penang are unhappy at the current state of affairs, especially at the lack of information and communication by the relevant authorities.

"Unfortunately, even the state government has been blamed," said the former Penang chief minister, describing the closures as "ridiculous" and a sign of federal government incompetency.

He said the problem includes a delay in appointing an MP from the state to be the coordinator for an Operation Surge Capacity, similar to the one launched in the Greater Klang Valley.

"This (coordinator) is to better manage and match logistics with vaccine supplies, so what happened in the PPVs across Penang and Malaysia will not happen again.

"The DAP believes if a similar appointment is done in Penang, like in the Klang Valley, the vaccination rate in Penang could have reached the same rate of first doses administered in the Klang Valley, equal to 104.2 per cent of the adult population and not 69.5 per cent on Aug 14," Lim said.

The Bagan MP added that appointing an Operation Surge Capacity coordinator will help the government achieve its vaccination targets while preventing logistical issues.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng

He was responding to the reported closures of four PPVs in Penang - Kompleks Sukan Balik Pulau, Balai Rakyat Bayan Baru, Tapak Pesta, and Dewan Milenium - due to a statewide shortage of Pfizer vaccine supply.

It was reported that the vaccine delay and PPV closures have seen recipients whose appointments were from Aug 15 to Aug 19 rescheduled to between Aug 22 and Aug 26.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow reportedly said the supply of Pfizer vaccines was internationally affected and the number of vaccines received has been reduced but this is a temporary phenomenon that is expected to be resolved in a few weeks. - Mkini