Instead, they said strategies and protocols at such centres have to be reviewed, with proper guidelines on ventilation for the convention centres.
The outbreak at IDCC Shah Alam affected nearly half of the staff and volunteers, with 204 found positive for Covid-19 after mass screenings on July 10.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the high percentage of positive cases suggests cross-infections within the PPV.
“The government must investigate any breaches in SOPs thoroughly to prevent any recurrence,” he said.
Lee added that, preferably, all volunteers at PPVs must be fully vaccinated and should wait at least two weeks after their second dose before reporting for duty.
Vaccination minister Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that 88% or 400 out of the 453 staff were vaccinated, while the remaining 12% were part of a new rotation and have not received their jabs. He did not specify how many of the 88% had received their second doses.
The vaccination mega-centres are a collaboration with the private sector, coordinated by health ministry subsidiary ProtectHealth. They employ volunteers to run day-to-day tasks from greeting vaccine recipients to registering and guiding them through the different stations.
Speaking on the issue of volunteers, Dr Kelvin Yii, who is also Bandar Kuching MP said volunteers and workers at vaccine sites should be made to take frequent RTK-Antigen tests.
Yii suggested that SOPs should be enforced more strictly even among workers who have been fully vaccinated, including during meal times or breaks.
He also urged for a comprehensive ventilation protocol including exploring the possibility of outdoor vaccinations, aside from hoping that more private clinics, GPs and other health facilities be mobilised to help the vaccination efforts.
“We need all hands on deck to make this vaccination drive a success.”
He added that the public should be prepared for the possibility of outbreaks at vaccination centres especially in high-risk areas.
However, such incidents should not deter the public from getting vaccinated, adding that the spread of the virus from a vaccinated person will be much lower, especially with strict compliance to all SOPs.
Meanwhile, Dr Pearl Leong of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations suggested an audit of SOP compliance at mega-PPVs by placing officers there daily.
She said adherence to SOPs are crucial especially among workers and volunteers there. As frontliners, they should also be fully vaccinated.
“Volunteers should also not be allowed to work if they report being too tired (from working multiple shifts) or if they were showing any flu symptoms whatsoever.”
Some PPV volunteers around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have told FMT that volunteers are not required to be fully vaccinated, but can be prioritised or slotted in for vaccinations using the vaccine doses leftover from the day.
One said many volunteers were still waiting for their vaccinations adding that some PPVs were already lacking volunteers and could not wait for them to complete their vaccinations.
Another said most of the volunteer recruitments are handled by different agencies such as the health ministry, OKU Sentral, Mercy Malaysia, National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), etc.
“There’s no clear guidelines. It’s a huge risk factor since they handle such a large volume of people a day,” she said.
“Being vaccinated was not a requirement, unless you’re working with immunocompromised patients, for example cancer patients, under NCSM.”