Miri Bomba chief Law Poh Kiong (right) with Miri Health Department medical officers ready to take off from Miri with the vaccines this morning.
MIRI (June 11): A total of 1,760 doses of the Sinovac vaccine were flown over to four rural health clinics in Bario, Mulu, Long San and Long Bedian today, said Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
The minister-in-charge of the Miri Disaster Management Committee (MDMC) said that these vaccine doses, which were flown over by the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) mercy flight, were the first batch of vaccines for rural areas in the Miri division.
“This is the first batch of vaccines for these rural areas and the rest will be sent over in stages. Later on, supplies will also be delivered to other rural areas in Miri Division according to schedules prepared by the Miri Health Department and Bomba Miri,” he said in a press statement earlier today.
Lee, who is also Transport Minister, was present to see the preparation made to deliver the vaccines to all the respective locations this morning.
He noted that each clinic receiving the supply of Covid-19 vaccines in the rural areas have medical officers, stable electricity supply as well as top-loading refrigerators.
Lee also disclosed that Miri received the Sinovac vaccine supplies directly from Kuala Lumpur at 11.15am yesterday and they were flown in via MAS mercy flight and escorted by police personnel to the Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPV) here.
“Today, four Bomba helicopters are being used to distribute these vaccines to four rural vaccination centres,” he said.
He said the Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will commence in these four locations tomorrow and assemblymen for these respective areas have been notified to inform villagers there to come and receive their Covid-19 vaccine according to their appointment.
Two medical staff from Miri Health Department accompanied the vaccines to its respective destinations and they were flown over via AW139 flight by Captain Faridullahamin Mohd Noh.
Meanwhile, Lee reminds those who have yet to register for Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to do so immediately at the location where the vaccines will be administered (Bario Health Clinic, Mulu Health Clinic, Long San Health Clinic and Long Bedian Health Clinic) due to their rural location.
“The registration can be done manually and they do not have to rely fully on MySejahtera app. I would like to appeal for everyone’s collaboration to ensure that the vaccination process can be carried out smoothly,” he said.
Lee also expressed his gratitude to Bomba Miri and Hornbill Skyways which has helped arranged for the vaccines to be delivered to 23 health clinics in rural areas here.