204 staff at Selangor vaccination centre test positive

KUALA LUMPUR • A total of 204 workers at a vaccination centre in Selangor have tested positive for Covid-19, said Coordinating Minister for Immunisation Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday.

The positive cases were detected through a mass screening exercise for all 453 workers and volunteers at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam last Saturday, after two volunteers were infected, he told a news conference.

He said all those who tested positive have been isolated, and a new team of workers will man the vaccination centre after it closed for sanitisation for one day yesterday.

"Because of the high number of cases in Klang Valley, it is difficult for us to determine whether the infections took place at IDCC or elsewhere," said Mr Khairy.

"The good news is that those who are positive have a low virus load. This may be because most of them are vaccinated," he said, adding that the affected workers did not exhibit severe symptoms.

About 88 per cent of the workers have been vaccinated.

The Klang Valley is currently the worst-hit area in Malaysia's Covid-19 crisis. On Monday, 4,308 cases were recorded in Selangor and 609 in Kuala Lumpur - out of a total of 8,574 nationwide.

Those who were at the convention centre between last Friday and Monday have been advised to get tested for Covid-19 if they experience any symptoms within 10 days.

This is the first time a vaccination centre in Malaysia has had to close because of a Covid-19 outbreak.

English daily The Star reported that those scheduled to be vaccinated at the IDCC have received or will be receiving notifications of the closure.

Ms Shahira Hussin, who was supposed to get her vaccination at the IDCC yesterday, found out her appointment was cancelled after she received an SMS to check the MySejahtera contact tracing app.

When contacted, the 32-year-old said: "My husband found out on Twitter this morning that the IDCC was going to be closed for sanitisation. At the time, I checked MySejahtera but there were no updates yet.

"But at about 8am, I received an SMS to check MySejahtera and a new slot had been given for next Monday."