Malaysia shuts vaccination center after 200 workers infected

 A medical worker holds a dose of Biokangtai’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine during a vaccination program at a factory, in Pulau Indah, Malaysia July 8, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

KUALA LUMPUR — A COVID-19 vaccination center in Malaysia was ordered to close for sanitization on Tuesday after more than 200 volunteers and workers there tested positive over the weekend, the country’s science minister said.

Those inoculated from July 9-12 at the center, about 25 km (15.5 miles) outside Kuala Lumpur, are advised to self-isolate for 10 days, Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters.

The facility has a capacity of about 3,000 doses daily. Of the 453 workers and volunteers screened, 204 tested positive, Khairy said.

The incident comes as Malaysia struggles to contain its biggest outbreak yet, with record deaths and cases amid a ramping up of its vaccination program and stricter lockdown measures over the past month.

At 844,870 cases overall, Malaysia has one of Southeast Asia’s highest per-capita infection rates, but also one of its highest rates of inoculation, with 25% of its 32 million population having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The center will resume vaccinations on Wednesday after sanitization and a change in staffing, Khairy added.