IPOH, June 2 — Not receiving appointment reminder calls and transportation issue have been identified as among the reasons why some 9,000 residents in Perak did not turn up to receive their Covid-19 vaccine.

Mentri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said in this regard, the state government was trying to find the best solution so that the issue would not arise again.

“These people are not rejecting the vaccine but they were having problems turning up for their appointments.

“We will make arrangement to pick up these affected recipients as soon as possible,” he said in a virtual news conference after chairing the state executive council meeting today.

On May 26, it was reported that some 9,000 individuals in Perak, mostly aged 60 and above, did not turn up for their vaccination appointments.

According to state Health Committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamarudin, a total of 237,204 individuals in Perak had received their vaccine jabs as of last Friday.

Asked about vaccination for media practitioners, Saarani said the name list had been submitted to the Perak Health Department director Datuk Dr Ding Lay Ming yesterday, and gave assurance that the vaccine administration process would be carried out soon.

On May 27, Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin said that 5,867 media practitioners from 114 registered media agencies would start receiving appointment dates for their Covid-19 vaccine jabs beginning from the first week of next month. — Bernama