By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SEBERANG PERAI, Sept 1 — The donation of the Covid-19 vaccine doses from the Selangor government to Penang is a sign of solidarity between the two states in the fight against Covid-19
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the distribution of 20,000 doses of vaccine to Penang for free is expected to benefit some 10,000 individuals.
“Alhamdulillah (praise be to god), after various efforts were carried out by the state government and Federal governments, we have managed to see a decline in the number of Covid-19 cases.
“Therefore, during the meeting with the Chief Minister, I said that if no swift action is taken on (boosting) the vaccination process, Penang and several other states will see a surge in cases, similar to what had happened in Selangor.
“We hope the vaccine donated to Penang would expedite the immunisation process and bring down the number of cases,” he said during the handing over ceremony of the vaccine at the integrated Covid-19 vaccination centre (PPV) at the Seberang Perai Convention Centre, yesterday.
Amirudin said during the one-month ramp-up vaccination process in Selangor, the bed usage capacity had reduced to 88 per cent from 130 per cent.
“I believe the donation showed our solidarity in fighting the virus together,” he said.
On August 19, the state government had agreed to lend some 500,000 vaccine doses to the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF).
Amirudin said the move would help several states that are facing a shortage in vaccine supply such as Kedah, Penang and Sabah.
