PETALING JAYA: An argument over the supply of vaccines in Selangor has erupted between a federal minister’s aide and a Selangor exco member on social media.
Dr Mohd Ghows Mohd Azzam has disputed claims by Selangor public health executive councillor Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud that vaccine supply in the state was running low.
The science adviser to the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said that Selangor had about 339,000 doses according to the vaccine management system.
“With Selangor utilising 40,000 per day, this is enough for at least a week,” he said in a series of Twitter postings yesterday.
Dr Siti Mariah had earlier claimed on Twitter that some vaccination centres (PPVs) in Selangor would be forced to stop operations in a matter of days unless their supply of vaccines was replenished.
“Current capacity in Selangor Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) is 87,616.
“Average number of vaccines given daily is 50,000 for first dose and 20,000 for second dose.
“(There is) balance of 20,000. If no additional vaccines arrive by today, some PPVs will have to close,” she claimed.
To this, Dr Mohd Ghows said Dr Siti Mariah could have easily contacted the CITF regarding the matter instead of putting it on social media.
“YB, currently Selangor is doing no more than 46,000 a day.
“Vaccines are given to accommodate more than that.
“Increasing vaccination is something we discussed when we came to Selangor to present the accelerated plan to finish by the end of August. We are ever willing to facilitate this,” added Dr Mohd Ghows.
Dr Siti Mariah replied that there were some confusion with the figures given by the ministry and those by the state.
“You better come and see me and bring your figures. We will see. If I am wrong, I will apologise,” she said.
Dr Ghows said that would be the best for both sides.
“Let us not be confrontational about it on social media, we work together to get where Selangor needs to be as we have discussed previously,” he said.