On 11 August, Penang hit a record 1,385 new COVID-19 infections resulting in an urgent need for a faster and smoother vaccination rate as the best protection against COVID-19. The rise in daily infections as well as deaths in Penang has heightened fear and intensified demands for faster vaccination.
The key question is how to ensure that the supply of vaccines arrived earlier or as scheduled. Stating that 100% of the adult population will get vaccinated by September does not allay the concerns of those worried about their lives or the livelihood of those seeking a quick full reopening of the economy.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has revealed that he managed to obtain an additional 210,000 doses of vaccine on top of the 707,220 doses allocated for Penang, making a total of 917,220 doses allocated for August for Penang. The problem is the inconsistent dosages given with 30,175 doses given on 11 August but only 20,745 doses on 10 August.
The ups and downs in dosages given, where some are turned away from their vaccine appointments at Vaccination Administration Centres(PPV) will not help to achieve the target of 30,000 daily doses achieved last month or Penang’s capacity of giving 40,000 doses daily this month. The establishment of the OSC can help to smooth over and overcome the problem of inconsistent dosages given caused by the disruption in regular supplies.
The Federal government must accept the principle that 100% of the adult population being vaccinated with the first dose by September is no longer acceptable but must be done before Merdeka Day. With the surge of COVID-19 infections, the OSC in Penang will help to expedite vaccination by matching logistics and reliable supplies to maximize the 917,220 doses allocated for August to achieve 100% of the adult population getting their first dose before Merdeka Day.
Many have asked me why the Klang Valley is able to achieve 102.7% of the adult population receiving the first dose on 11 August but not in Penang which is at only 66.6%? Stating that 100% of the adult population will receive their first dose is small consolation to those who are infected or to the families of those who lost their lives waiting for vaccines that never come as well as those who are still waiting in frustration for an appointment. I still remember the words of Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister James Masing, who lost his brother through COVID-19, said that his brother would still have been alive if the vaccines had arrived earlier.
The OSC will help to enhance coordination and implementation of the National Immunisation Programme(PICK) between the Federal government and the Selangor government. Former Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry and DAP MP for Bangi Dr Ong Kian Ming was appointed as the OSC coordinator for the Klang Valley.
Despite the current toxic political climate, DAP is willing to cooperate and coordinate the vaccination programme with the current government that has lost its parliamentary majority to battle COVID-19 together in Penang. A similar (OSC) set up in Penang similar to Klang Valley, with a Penang MP acceptable to both the federal and state governments should be quickly appointed to put public health interest ahead of political partisanship.
Herd immunity should be achieved through inoculation, and not through both infection and inoculation. More than 80% of COVID-19 cases in Penang are those unvaccinated. If the OSC in Klang Valley can achieve 102.7% of the adult population receiving the first dose NOW, why not do the same for Penang and not wait until September?
Every day’s delay is more infections or more precious lives lost. Equally important is that a faster vaccination will allow the economy in Penang to reopen fully faster. The Federal government must accept the new target of 100% of the adult population in Penang receiving the first dose before Merdeka Day and not in September.