DAP: Govt must properly plan vaccination schedule for vulnerable groups
With Phase 2 of the Covid-19 immunisation programme being rolled out next month, DAP has urged the government to quickly specify the parameters of vulnerable groups prioritised for vaccination.
The opposition party said in a statement today that proper communication between the government and stakeholders was crucial to reduce potential confusion on when Phase 2 of the programme takes effect...
With Phase 2 of the Covid-19 immunisation programme being rolled out next month, DAP has urged the government to quickly specify the parameters of vulnerable groups prioritised for vaccination.
The opposition party said in a statement today that proper communication between the government and stakeholders was crucial to reduce potential confusion on when Phase 2 of the programme takes effect.
"This is important to reduce any confusion that may arise, as well as to make sure that Phase 2 goes on smoothly, especially since the government is looking at vaccinating up to 9.4 million people aged 60 and above and those with comorbidities and chronic diseases that have a higher risk to develop more severe Covid-19," the statement says.
The statement was signed by the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming and Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim.
This was among the concerns raised by the four DAP leaders in a recent meeting with the Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin.
DAP also channelled its concern to the minister on the allegations of queue-jumping involving VVIPs seeking to get the vaccine jab during Phase 1.
In relation to that, DAP called for the protection of whistleblowers who revealed these queue-jumping attempts while emphasising that all reports of queue cutters should be probed transparently and the public informed.
They extended their appreciation for the programme materials being produced in four languages and thanked Khairy for acknowledging a recent effort by Sim and Yii to explain the vaccination programme in Hokkien.
"We look forward to more of these programme-related explanations in other dialects such as Cantonese and Hakka and also in Tamil and Iban," they said.
In relation to politics, DAP urged Khairy to strongly advise Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to not call for a general election until at least 70 percent of the population was vaccinated and herd immunity achieved in the country.
For the record, the ongoing emergency proclamation will last until August. Previously, Khairy had estimated that the general election could take place as early as September if at least 50 percent of the population was inoculated by then.
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