KOTA BARU: The Government is expected to receive the first batch of the CanSino Covid-19 vaccine next month and half of the supply will be sent to Kelantan.
Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the CanSino vaccine would be deployed to rural areas in the state such as the Orang Asli posts in Gua Musang and Kuala Krai.
"The Government recently approved two Covid-19 vaccines namely CanSino and Johnson & Johnson and both are single dose vaccines.
"The first batch of the CanSino vaccine is expected to arrive in the country in July and some of the doses will be deployed to Kelantan.
"With the single dose vaccine, there is no need for the Kelantan health department to enter the Orang Asli settlements or any rural areas twice to conduct the immunisation programme," he said in a press conference after hearing a briefing on the latest update of the state-level NIP, here, today.
Also present were Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob, state Government, Health and Housing Committee chairman Dr Izani Husin and state health director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin.
Khairy who is also the science, technology and innovation minister, is on a working visit to Kelantan.
He said the Government also planned to sent 550,000 vaccine doses to Kelantan to help the state increase its vaccination rate.
He informed that the Government, through the health ministry, was also planning on setting up five more public vaccination centres (PPV) in Bachok, Pasir Mas, Machang, Kuala Krai and Kota Baru.
"We are also considering turning more private hospitals and clinics in Kelantan into public PPVs," he added.
Khairy later visited the vaccination centre at the Darul Naim complex which was set up last month.