Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Penang On 17.8.2021:
Chaos Cannot Be Allowed To Win Over Competence – Juru One Hope Centre PPV Has Been Restored First Dose Vaccination Services From Wednesday And All Vaccination Administration Centres(PPV) Should Complain To PH Elected Representatives For Any Disruption In Vaccine Supply.
The number of 19,740 new COVID-19 cases and 274 deaths on 16 August with a grim 1,424,639 cumulative cases and a total death toll of 12,784 deaths accompanies an equally disturbing fact of 1,047 cases in ICU beds and 520 patients requiring intubation. With such a high number of ICU and intubation cases, the death toll will remain high for the foreseeable future.
Further Malaysia is still stuck in a vicious cycle of community infection with the positivity rate reaching a record high of 15.17% on 16 August, more than three times above the recommended 5% by the World Health Organisation(WHO). Out of 130,113 tests done, the positivity rate of 15.17% indicates that there is not enough testing done to reduce the number of infections in accordance with WHO’s recommended large scale implementation of the Find, Test, Trace, Isolate and Support plus vaccination (FTTIS+V).
The mass screening exercise must be expanded to at least 1% of the population or 320,000 tests daily in Malaysia so that infections can be caught early with isolation and treatment. The WHO recommends FTTIS+V as one the preventive measures against mass outbreaks in the future. Herd immunity should be achieved solely through inoculation, not by both infection and inoculation.
On a brighter note, the Penang One Hope Centre PPV in Juru has restored its first dose vaccination services from Wednesday. This Juru PPV was previously informed that the first dose of Pfizer vaccine will have to be stopped from Wednesday due to vaccine shortages. However prompt action was taken by the relevant authorities to restore vaccine supplies to this PPV to allow them to function as normal.
Whilst this is welcomed, similar action should be taken to restore vaccines to other PPVs facing disruption of vaccine supplies so that they can continue to operate. Vaccination is the only protection and must be accelerated at all costs with the vicious Delta variants running wild. Any delays in vaccination can possibly cost loss of lives.
PPVs facing vaccine shortages are encouraged to complain to their local PH elected representatives who will speak up to resolve the problem. For too long PH elected representatives have relied on internal channels to no avail. The time has come to show that we have the rakyat’s interests at heart on such a critical matter of life and death. Chaos cannot be allowed to win over competence.
DAP hopes that the four PPVs that have been closed for appointments for second-dose vaccine recipients, at Balik Pulau sports complex, Balai Rakyat Bayan Baru, Pesta site in Sungai Nibong and Dewan Millennium in Kepala Batas can be quickly reopened. Vaccine appointments for next week have been rescheduled to the following week because of a disruption in the supply of the Pfizer vaccine to the state beginning on August 12. With a high 1,251 cases and 19 new deaths in Penang on 16 August, Penangites do not have the luxury to wait at the risk of exposing themselves to both infection and death.
LIM GUAN ENG
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2021年8月17日在槟城发表文告:
别让混乱胜过职能 – 大山脚瑶池金母慈善基金会疫苗接种中心周三将恢复为民众接种首剂疫苗的服务。所有疫苗接种中心若面临任何的疫苗供应中断问题，应就此向希盟民选代表做出投诉。
我国于8月16日新增1万9740宗确诊病例，累计确诊病例142万4639宗；另新增274宗死亡病例，累计死亡病例1万2784宗。同样令人不安的是，目前有1047人在加护病房接受治疗，其中520人需要呼吸辅助器。加护病房和需呼吸辅助器的病例如此之多，相信在可预见的未来，死亡人数仍将居高不下。
此外，马来西亚仍陷在社区感染的恶性循环中，8月16日的阳性率更创下新高，达15.17%,，比世界卫生组织建议的5%高出逾三倍。在筛检了13万113人后得到15.17%阳性率的结果，显示我们并没有依照世界卫生组织的建议，通过大规模的侦查、筛检、追踪、隔离、支持+接种疫苗（FTTIS+V）措施来降低感染数量。
大规模筛检活动需扩大至覆盖1%人口或每天32万个检测，以便可及早发现感染者，予以隔离和治疗。世界卫生组织建议FTTIS+V作为避免未来疫情大规模爆发的预防措施之一。我们应通过接种疫苗来实现群体免疫，而不是通过感染病毒和接种疫苗来达致这目标。
值得一提的是，大山脚瑶池金母慈善基金会疫苗接种中心周三将恢复为民众接种首剂疫苗的服务。该疫苗接种中心此前被通知，基于辉瑞疫苗短缺而需从周三开始停止为民众接种首剂疫苗。在有关当局迅速行动并恢复对该疫苗接种中心的疫苗供应后，现已可正常运作。
我们欢迎这结果，但当局也应采取类似行动，向其他同样面临疫苗供应中断的疫苗接种中心，重新提供所需的疫苗以便他们能够正常运作。接种疫苗是唯一的保护措施，随着Delta变种病毒肆虐，我们必须不惜一切代价加快接种疫苗进度。任何关于接种疫苗的延误都可能导致生命损失。
我们鼓励面临疫苗短缺的疫苗接种中心向当地的希盟民选代表做出投诉，以便可为疫苗接种中心发声并解决问题。希盟民选代表长期以来依靠内部渠道，但却无济于事。我们应当表明，在这一个生死攸关的重大事务上，我们一直将人民的利益放在心上。别让混乱胜过职能。
民主行动党希望，现停止为第二剂疫苗预约者接种疫苗的4间疫苗接种中心，即浮罗山背体育馆、峇央峇鲁民众礼堂、同乐会及威北县千禧礼堂可尽快重新开放接种第二剂疫苗的服务。基于槟州自8月12日起所获得的辉瑞疫苗供应受影响，故原定于本周的预约时间被更新及展延至下周。随着槟城在8月16日新增1251宗确诊病例，及19宗死亡病例，槟城人不想冒着感染和死亡风险而继续等待。
林冠英