KOTA BARU, June 13 — Kelantan took the initiative to open temporary vaccination centres (PPV) at mosques, suraus and pondok to make it easier for the people to get their Covid-19 vaccine shots.

State Health Department director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin said through the vaccination outreach programme, six locations had been identified and the PPVs would be operating for five days, with a target of administering 400 vaccines a day at each PPV.

"Although it is implemented in mosques, it is not limited to Muslims only. So far, 600 people have received vaccinations at the temporary PPVs and 10 to 20 per cent of them are non-Muslims,” he told reporters after visiting a PPV at the Sultan Ismail Petra Mosque, Kubang Kerian, near here, which started operating today.

Dr Zaini said the operation of the temporary PPVs would be extended if there was high demand.

He said vaccine awareness among Kelantanese was getting better and so far, 140,000 of them have received their first dose of vaccine shots.

On the vaccination outreach programme in rural areas, Dr Zaini said the department would work to ensure that the residents get vaccinated at the latest in September, before the monsoon season starts.

"This is because the weather conditions at that time will make it difficult for health workers to enter the rural areas,” he said. — Bernama