PUTRAJAYA, July 13 — The vaccination centre (PPV) at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam was closed for a day today after 204 COVID-19 positive cases were detected among workers there, said National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Following the PPV’s closure, which was to facilitate sanitation work by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, he said total of 6,000 appointments were rescheduled.
He said the COVID-19 positive cases were detected after all the 453 workers at the PVV underwent a mass Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) screening test on July 10 and the results of the screening test also showed that the positive cases had a cycle threshold value of more than 35, which is low viral load.
This is possibly because most of them had been vaccinated, he said, adding that 88 per cent or about 400 workers at the PPV had been vaccinated.
“The infection at the IDCC PPV is the first case involving a PPV. Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the Klang Valley, it is difficult for us to ascertain whether an infection occurred in IDCC or elsewhere,” he told a press conference here today.
Following the incident, he advised those who went for their vaccination appointment at the PPV from July 9 until yesterday (July 12) to undergo self-quarantine for ten days and also go for COVID-19 screening test if they have the symptoms.
Khairy said the National COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) had been instructed to go to the IDCC PPV today to help those who were unaware of its closure. The notification on the PVV’s closure was made via the short message system (SMS) and social media.
As a precaution to reduce the potential of infection, he said, all workers at the PVV would be replaced with new ones.
“CITF will continue to step up efforts to ensure the IDCC PPV is safe ,” he said, adding that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health had been requested to monitor the air quality at the centre.
He reminded other PPVs to continue to adhere to the stipulated standard operating procedures (SOPs) and those with problems, especially on over-crowding, to inform the CITF Centre so that immediate action could be taken.
Sources: BERNAMA