GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman and DCM II Dr. P. Ramasamy today received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech.

Also receiving the second dose today were state Heath director Datuk Dr Asmayani Khalib, state police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan and State Secretary Datuk Abdul Razak Jaafar at Penang Hospital's vaccination centre, starting at 12.10 pm.

The second dose was given 22 days after they received the first dose of the vaccine on Feb 28.

Chow told reporters that up to March 21, 28,316 people had received the first dose under phase one of the state-level National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.

"In Penang, over 31,000 individuals were eligible to receive the vaccine jab under the first phase, with less than 3,000 now waiting to be injected with the first dose.

"The second dose has been administered since a few days ago and until March 21, 328 people had received the second dose," said Chow, adding that 444,185 individuals in Penang had registered as COVID-19 vaccine recipients through the MySejahtera application.

-- BERNAMA