GEORGE TOWN, Feb 21 — Penang will continue its Covid-19 mass screening initiative involving the manufacturing and production sectors, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

"In the special session of the National Security Council (MKN) on Covid-19 management, chaired by the Prime Minister via a video conference on Friday, I have requested further feedback to enable the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Penang branch to implement mass screening initiatives involving manufacturing sector in the state.

"At the session, the Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that it can be implemented but found to be less suitable during this third wave period,” he said in a statement today.

However, he said the state government would continue the initiative so that contact tracing and treatment could be implemented more effectively, especially for the manufacturing and construction sectors which are the main contributors to the cases and clusters in the state.

On the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, the Penang government is giving full commitment to the federal government regarding its implementation, he said.

"I was informed by the state Health Department (JKNPP) and state MKN that starting next week, Penang will receive Covid-19 vaccine in stages and will be placed in two hospitals.

"The first phase of the vaccination involves more than 30,000 frontliners,” he said. — Bernama