GEORGE TOWN: Less than 10 per cent of the targeted 1.3 million or 70 per cent of Penang's population have registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said, as of March 4, only 113,672 people had registered to receive the vaccination.
He said, as of March 7, some 5,172 frontliners in the state, had received their vaccination.
"This is slightly less than 10 per cent of the targeted population to build herd immunity in the state.
"Hopefully, more will register to receive the vaccination before the subsequent phases kick-off," he told newsmen at his office in Komtar here today.
Chow said he preferred to look at things more positively, with more than three million Malaysians having registered nationwide in just a week.
"Also, two other mediums of registration, namely through the website and telephone, have been introduced in the last two days to cater to the varied background.
"With that, we will see better registration numbers in the coming weeks," he added.
Chow also expressed hope that the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee would come out with a decision to allow those who register early to receive the vaccination first.
He said this would encourage the people to register earlier.
Meanwhile, Chow said more than a week after receiving the vaccination, he did not feel anything.
"I only had a slight pain on the spot where I was vaccinated in the first 36 hours. After that, everything returned to normal," he said.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme saw Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the first vaccine recipient, alongside frontliners in the first phase to be carried out until April.
The second phase would be conducted between April and August this year for senior citizens aged 60 and above and high-risk groups.
The third phase, for those aged 18 and above, would start in May this year and is expected to be completed by February next year.
The government plans to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of the population or around 26.6 million people in the country's biggest vaccination drive ever.