Sultan shocked at low, ‘unfair’ vaccine supply for Selangor

Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed shock at the low and “unfair” number of Covid-19 vaccines supplied to the state.

The monarch thus hoped that the federal government’s Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) would expedite vaccine supply.

In a statement signed by his private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani today, he said Sultan Sharafuddin believed that the present supply was insufficient for Selangor’s population.

“His Majesty is sad to see the number of daily positive cases in Selangor that always show a rise, with cumulative positive cases at 203,520 as of Jun 7 plus a worrying death toll (961 deaths as of Jun 7).

“Therefore, he hopes that the JKJAV will expedite and increase the number of vaccine doses to the Selangor people.

“He was shocked when the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force confirmed that Selangor only received 615,210 Covid-19 vaccine doses as of Jun 1, 2021, and not 2.9 million doses as previously claimed.

“He further stressed that this is not fair as the ratio of the vaccine doses given does not match the total population in Selangor which is 6.5 million,” he said, adding that the state should be given priority given that it is the biggest contributor to Malaysia’s GDP.

'More vaccination centres'

Sultan Sharafuddin thus wanted more vaccine administration centres (PPV) to be set up in the state, and especially in the rural areas.

He also proposed using drive-through PPVs and mobile clinics for vaccinations.

“His Majesty would like to commend the Selangor state government’s move to aggressively conduct free Covid-19 swab tests for the people throughout the state,” he added.

Don’t entertain anti-vaxxers

Meanwhile, the state monarch issued a warning against anti-vaccine groups and urged for the public to not be swayed by them.

“He is disappointed and displeased with the existence of anti-vaccine groups in the state. He hopes that the rakyat will not be easily influenced by their deviated beliefs.

“His Majesty believes that vaccines can save the lives of individuals and communities, especially from dangerous viruses like Covid-19,” he said, adding that the country would continue to struggle with the pandemic if herd immunity was not achieved. - Mkini