​PETALING JAYA: Employers in Selangor were eager to obtain vaccines from the Selangor State Government via the Selangkah online platform which had received up to 3,500 applications so far.

MEF President Dato’ Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman J.P., said the high number of applications by employers in Selangor indicates that employers are willing to vaccinate their employees against Covid-19 as the related costs of temporary closure of the workplace would be more expensive than the cost of vaccines.

Dato’ Dr Syed Hussain was responding to the statement of Selangor State Health, Welfare, Women and Family Empowerment Committee chairman YB Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud on Wednesday who said the programme is expected to be rolled out in June at the cost of employers without any subsidy from the State.

“If possible, the roll out of the vaccines by the Selangor government be implemented as soon as possible and that the vaccines be given for free,” he said.

“It is understood that industry in Selangor provides more than a third of the national revenue so this is a form of social responsibility of the State authorities. Moreover, Selangor also benefit from the corporate taxes and would want to care for their citizens.

“The intention is  to create herd immunity as soon as possible and not to make  profit out of the programme.

“We also appeal to the Federal government to allocate more of the free vaccine doses to Selangor as the number of new infections in the State recently had been very high.

“Selangor, with about six million people with half of them in the job market, had only received 3.3% or 160,000 of the total doses procured by Putrajaya.

“Based on the latest published statistics, new cases in Selangor reached 2,251 cases on 19th May 2021, which is the highest thus far.”

For further information, contact the MEF Secretariat at 03-7955-7778 or fax 03-7955-9008 or email mef-hq@mef.org.my.