KUALA LUMPUR: Staff at the World Trade Centre (WTC) vaccination centre (PPV) had mixed emotions - joy, sadness and pride - when it officially closed yesterday after operating for 150 days since May 5. But it has been an invaluable experience, nonetheless.

The WTC and Klang Valley PPV manager, Dr Husni Za’eem Abdul Hadi, 35, said the mega PPV, which specifically administered the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, had its own share of challenges in implementing the vaccination process.

He said that managing the administering of a total of 18,000 doses of vaccine jabs a day was among the priceless experiences he would never forget.

“We also faced challenges like handling large crowds in terms of standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance and crowd control. This is because we handled a total of 18,000 vaccine doses a day,” he said when met at the WTC PPV today.

Dr Husni Za’eem was also happy with the success of the mega PPV in increasing the vaccination rate as well as being a guide to providing the best service to the public in the future.

“I am happy that everything went smoothly and about 1.3 million individuals have received their vaccine jabs here. We tried to minimise mistakes and whatever information we received will be used as a guide and reference for us to be more prepared for future challenges,” he said.

An assistant medical officer at the WTC PPV, Mohd Hazani Hassim, 40, also shared that it was a real challenge dealing with individuals from different backgrounds.

“It was definitely challenging working here. There were individuals questioning me whether the syringe was filled with water while some did not comply with the SOP and so on.

“However, we continued to carry out our task responsibly and with dedication,” said Mohd Hazani, who has served for 18 years in the civil service.

Meanwhile, RELA platoon leader Salmiah Umar, 55, said she was grateful that the vaccination process had been implemented successfully at the PPV.

“I’m having mixed feelings... there’s joy and sadness. I am grateful and happy to see the recipients coming here to get vaccinated,” she said.-Bernama