by LYDIA NATHAN / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

THE latest Industry Vaccination Centre (PPVIN) at the KL Sentral station will support the vaccination programme for economic frontliners in the transport sector.

The programme was approved by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force on July 19 and is a joint effort between the Transport Ministry (MoT), Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry, and Health Ministry.

Opened yesterday, the centre is being organised by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) and is operating at the KLIA Ekspres Arrival Hall at KL Sentral, provided by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL).

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the openings of these PPVIN are part of larger efforts to expedite delivery of vaccines to the transport sector, which has been an essential service during the Movement Control Order.

“The KL Sentral PPVIN will benefit 1,451 employees of KTMB including its subsidiaries, Multimodal Freight Sdn Bhd and KTM Distribution as well as 390 ERL employees and ERL Maintenance Support Sdn Bhd.

“They are largely frontline staff who have yet to receive their first dose,” he said.

Wee added that a total of 40 KTMB and ERL employees have volunteered with crowd and queue control, logistics and registration, while KTMB planned to set up more PPVIN facilities at other strategic locations to benefit staff in the northern and southern regions as well as the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Wee said MoT had submitted a list of 129,267 names from the taxi and e-hailing category and 73,394 p-hailing riders’ names for vaccination, while some 67% of taxi and e-hailing drivers have received vaccination appointments, as well as 56.4% for p-hailing riders.

“The ministry is also in the process of obtaining approvals to open additional PPVIN for the transport sector in Johor, Penang, Pahang, Terengganu, Perak and Selangor, as well as additional doses for Port Klang to expedite vaccinations for seafarers, port workers, and logistics sector employees.

“This initiative is estimated to benefit more than 54,000 transport sector workers,” he noted.