Short of supplies, Penang vaccination centres closed for a day

Short of supplies, Penang vaccination centres closed for a day

State health department says second-dose appointments next week for Pfizer recipients have been rescheduled.

Vaccination centres in Balik Pulau, Bayan Baru, Pesta site, and Dewan Milenium will be closed today. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA:
Four major vaccination centres in Penang will be closed tomorrow in the face of a shortage of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine supplies, the state health department said today.

Appointments for second-dose vaccine recipients for next week have been rescheduled, the department said.

Three of the centres are on the island – Balik Pulau sports complex, Balai Rakyat Bayan Baru and Pesta site in Sungai Nibong – and the other is at Dewan Milenium in Seberang Perai Utara.

The department said the centres will reopen on Monday because of a disruption in the supply of the Pfizer vaccine to the state beginning on Aug 12.

Appointments next week for recipients of the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine have been rescheduled to Aug 22-26, the department said.

On Thursday, Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow had said there had been disruptions to the vaccination programme because of a global shortage of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. He said there had been an assurance that supplies would be restored in the coming weeks.

Several Penang assemblymen have reported receiving complaints from their constituents about appointments being postponed or cancelled.

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