THE vaccination centre at Taman Menjalara Community Centre was a scene of chaos this morning with vaccine recipients crowding the front gates of the centre while waiting for their turn to be called in.

A check by The Malaysian Insight found that there were crowds of 200 to 300 people outside the vaccination centre who were not lining up or observing social distancing measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The centre was also understaffed with less than 10 police and Rela personnel trying to manage a crowd of hundreds by shouting instructions at them to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).

This centre vaccinates 800 people a day.

It is as a result of this chaotic situation and mounting complaints that Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced plans to move vaccine recipients from here to a bigger venue.

The Bandar Sri Menjalara Community Hall will be among four Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPVs) that would be closed and replaced with two bigger venues to facilitate vaccine recipients. The Menjalara and Stadium Titiwangsa will be replaced by Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) from May 31.

Many vaccine recipients when met at the Menjalara Community Centre also complained about them being given appointments at venues far from their place of residence.

Wong, who lives in Taman Gembira in Old Klang Road, brought her 70-year-old friend to the Menjalara centre for her vaccination. She arrived an hour ahead of her appointment at 12pm.

“My friend is a widow and I’m just a good Samaritan helping her by driving her here.

“I don’t understand why she was given an appointment so far from where she lives.

“While we want to take the vaccine, the situation they put us through out here, with no proper system and crowding actually expose us more to the risk of catching the virus,” she said.

She said her friend had considered not coming for her appointment today but decided against it as she did not know when the next availability will be.

Samantha Tan, a journalist at a local daily, expressed the same frustration as Wong. She said her 72-year-old father had to wait for more than 30 minutes under the hot sun with no place to sit while waiting for his turn.

“This vaccination centre is so crowded and I’ve already reported it to Mosti (Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation) but there has been no response so far.

“We live in Cheras but we have to travel all the way to Kepong for his vaccination. To make things worse, there is no place to sit and the instructions given by the authorities are confusing. People don’t know where to queue or wait for their turns,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Tan added that the fact that her father has to queue up and wait with such a big crowd puts him at risk of contracting Covid-19.

Chong, who came all the way from Old Klang Road compared her experience of waiting in line to that of people going to war.

“I came prepared for my appointment. I brought my own chair, food and coffee as I was warned by my friend who also got his vaccine here that there were no amenities available.”

She was accompanied by a friend who drove her to Kepong at 10.45am for a 12pm appointment.

Another woman who did not want to be named said she had no choice but to arrive more than an hour early for her 12pm appointment, as she had to take public transport.

“I live in the city, near Capsquare. I had to take public transport to get here.

“I’ve been standing the entire time as there is no place to sit. It’s very chaotic here compared to other vaccination centres,” she said.

Different centres from husband and wife
Fong, 72, who was waiting for his wife outside the Menjalara Community Centre lamented that it makes no sense for him and his wife to be given different dates and venues for their appointments.

“We live in Old Klang Road but she was given an appointment here. Why so far?

“Everyone here is old, but there is no place to sit and there is no shade for them to stand under.

“I received my vaccine at Titiwangsa last week and it was so much better. There was a proper system in place unlike here. In Titiwangsa, we were given a number and we knew when it was out turn,” he said.

Only 10 people were allowed into the Menjalara Community Centre at a time, leaving the rest with the same appointment time to wait outside the gates.

The crowd inside the complex was not as disorganised and there was a tent set up for those waiting for their turn.

Retna Pillay, 72 also faced the same problem as Fong. She and her husband were both given different dates and centres.

“I registered my husband as my dependent on MySejahtera and yet they asked him to go to Bandar Tasik Selatan and send me here to Kepong.

“Isn’t it stupid, especially when we both share the same address,” Retna who lives in Old Klang Road said.

Compared to Kepong, Retna said the vaccination centre at Bandar Tasik Selatan was a lot more organised.

“They had set up tents and placed chairs for all those who were waiting for their turn.”

Another man who was accompanying his mother for her vaccination faced the same issue.

Thomas Lee from Puchong said both his parents who lived under the same roof were given different dates and centres.

“Maybe they segregate based on age, my mom is 72 while my dad is 78. He was asked to go to Titiwangsa instead.

“It just doesn’t make sense for them not to allocate them to a nearer centre to their home,” he said, adding that it took him 30 minutes from Puchong to Kepong.

“I had to take leave to accompany my mom today. We arrived here at 10am and her appointment is at 12pm. She’s been standing for the past 2 hours.”

After much shouting by the authorities, the crowd finally listened and formed a queue that snaked all the way to the back of the building. Even then, there were those who were confused about where they should be standing.

Malaysia is currently in Phase 2 of the immunisation programme which covers senior citizens, people with chronic diseases and people with disabilities. Phase 2 recipients have started receiving their second dose since last week.

As of May 24, close to 2.5 million people have been vaccinated. Of which more than 1.5 million have received their first dose while 905,271 are fully vaccinated. – May 25, 2021.