By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, Aug 17 — Bukit Gasing state assemblyman R Rajiv has urged the JKJAV (Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply) to reinstate panel clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor the administration of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines to make vaccination more accessible to the public.
He said this would be more convenient for the people as opposed to having those without appointments to walk-in to one of the 10 vaccination centres (PPV) offering the service, which may be located far from their respective homes and discourage them from walking in.
Rajiv had proposed the move following the dip in vaccination rate of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines in both Kuala Lumpur and Selangor combined from the average 150,000 daily doses in the last week of July to recording slightly over 30,000 doses a day.
“Unless the problem is that we are running low on vaccine supply? This surely can’t be the case as the Dewan Rakyat was recently told that Pharmaniaga has three million excess stock in its storage.
“JKJAV needs to come clean on this, as slowing down vaccination in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor means putting lives at stake,” he said in a statement on his Facbook yesterday.
Rajiv said apart from clinics no longer administering first doses earlier in the month, the mega vaccination centre (PPV) in his constituency located at the MBPJ Civic Hall, Petaling Jaya, had also ceased assigning first dose appointments and is only catering for second doses.
He had cited a statement by the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow who claimed that general practitioners were no longer allowed to give the first vaccine dose.
“We should not rest on our laurels. The rate needs to go back to its former levels to protect our society from Covid-19.
“The JKJAV has already conceded that it does not know how many adults are in the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor area due to migration and undocumented immigrants.
“But from statistics on their own website, there are 539,886 people who have registered for the vaccine that have yet to be vaccinated. And this doesn’t even include those who have yet to register or walk-in for various reasons,” he said
