JOHOR BARU: Many have turned to social media to express their frustrations and concerns about the crowd outside a Covid-19 vaccination centre (PPV) here.

       A check by The Star yesterday morning showed that roads leading to the PPV were packed with cars and that traffic was at a crawl.

       Some cars were also parked haphazardly along the roadside.

       There was also a crowd building up outside the PPV. However, as of 10am, it was not as large as it was on Thursday.

       Despite arriving at the PPV at the Persada Johor International Convention centre three hours early, retiree Tan King Hui still had to wait for hours before his aunt got vaccinated on Thursday.

       Tan said his 70-year-old aunt was scheduled to get her second dose at about 3pm, but they decided to come early to beat the traffic.

       “We arrived at the PPV at around noon and the line was already very long.

       “We had to wait for hours before we were finally able to enter the PPV,” he said, adding that it was also raining heavily.

       His aunt only got her vaccine shot at about 8.30pm.

       But Tan’s experience accompanying his mother for her vaccine shot yesterday was much smoother.

       “My 84-year-old mother was scheduled to take her vaccine this morning (yesterday) and I was worried that we might have to wait for hours again.

       “Thankfully, the situation had improved and it took less than an hour for us to complete the whole process,” he added.

       Housewife Siti Nuur Aliya Mohd Nawi, 27, said she was relieved that yesterday’s crowd was not as bad as it was on Thursday.

       “While traffic towards the PPV was moving slowly, there was no long queue outside the building.

       “The process went smoothly and I managed to get my first dose within an hour,” she said.

       In a post on Twitter, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim said he had received a brief report and suggestions to improve the PPV’s system.

       According to the report which he shared on Twitter, the number of people getting vaccinated had increased to 8,386 daily from about 3,000.

       “The number of people receiving their vaccine dose increased to 6,948 on Wednesday, while Thursday was the first day it increased to 8,385 people.

       “Due to the rain in the evening, vaccine recipients were also gathering in the tents to avoid getting wet.

       “Some of the recipients also arrived about two hours earlier than their appointment time,” the report said.

       Meanwhile, Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the number of registration counters at the PPV would be increased to reduce congestion.

       Hasni tweeted that police would also be deployed to control traffic near the PPV.