Increase vaccination rate in Johor to 70,000 doses per day - Tunku Ismail

JOHOR BAHRU: The Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim today said the vaccination rate in the state should be increased to 70,000 doses a day so that herd immunity could be achieved earlier.

Through a post on his official Facebook page today, he said this is because the COVID-19 infection rate in the state is reported to be increasing.

"The vaccination rate in Johor is now at 50,000 doses a day. However, the COVID-19 infection rate in Johor is currently at an alarming level. Given this situation, I think the vaccination rate needs to be further increased to 70,000 doses a day as soon as possible.

"With the highly contagious Delta variant, only vaccination can effectively curb this pandemic. The health and safety of the people must always be prioritised," he said.

Johor recorded 1,162 new cases today bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the state to 95,387 with 1,014 deaths.

Tunku Ismail also suggested that Operation Surge Capacity be implemented in the state to increase the rate of vaccination and curb the spread of infection in Johor.

On Monday, National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was reported to have said that Operation Surge Capacity, from July 26 to Aug 1, had succeeded in increasing the number of adults in the Klang Valley receiving first-dose vaccinations, with 1,655,217 appointments issued during its implementation period.

Operation Surge Capacity was implemented in an effort to ensure that every adult in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will receive at least one dose of the vaccine by Aug 1.

-- BERNAMA