Datuk Saarani Mohamad speaks to reporters in Ipoh April 18, 2019. ― Picture by Farhan Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Perak, which is among five states set to transition to Phase Two under the National Recovery Plan (PPN) from tomorrow, expects to reach Phase Three even faster through increased vaccination capacity and rate of Covid-19 vaccine jabs.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said the state was expected to record an inoculation rate of between 25,000 and 30,000 daily once it receives 688,000 doses of vaccines this month, with the first 147,000 doses set to arrive next week.
“It is possible to reach that rate as Perak currently has 101 vaccination centres (PPV), comprising 31 in public and government hospitals as well as 70 in private clinics and hospitals,” he told reporters at the Kampung Chadak Orang Asli Village vaccination programme in Tambun, Ipoh today.
He said the state also planned to raise the involvement of more private hospitals and clinics under its Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
Yesterday, Perak reported 101 new cases, with 95 of them being local transmissions and six were infections from outside Perak. The rate of bed usage in intensive care units (ICU) in hospitals in the state is only at 27 per cent.
Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday announced that Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Perlis and Perak would transition to Phase Two under the PPN from tomorrow after all the five states had achieved the threshold value indicators.
The three indicators for transition into Phase Two of the PPN are that the national daily average of Covid-19 cases must drop below 4,000, the utilisation of beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) should be at a moderate level and at least 10 per cent of the population should be fully vaccinated.
For Phase Three of the PPN, the indicators that need to be achieved are the average daily cases dropping to below 2,000, the public healthcare system is at a satisfactory level, with the rate of bed usage in ICU dropping to an adequate level, and 40 per cent of the country’s population to have received the second dose of the vaccine jab.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob reminded the people in the state that the transition to Phase Two of the PPN was not a ticket for them to be completely “free”.
He said the public must continue to support the government’s efforts, including complying with stipulated directives and the standard operating procedure (SOP) throughout the period.
He also hoped that more community outreach vaccination programmes could be implemented during that period to enable the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine jabs. — Bernama