Shahelmey (left) receiving a memento from Dr Prabakaran Solomon A/L Dhanaraj, the senior assistant director (medical officer) of the Sabah Health Department.
KOTA KINABALU: A Home Monitoring Call Centre has been set up to provide support and guidance to Covid-19 patients undergoing home quarantine.
Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Shahelmey Yahya said that the Centre was the first of its kind operating in the country.
The centre is manned by 15 personnel daily, he said.
These consist of two doctors and one matron, four dental nurses, 10 welfare workers and 10 volunteers as well as one Red Crescent society member, he said.
“The purpose of the Centre is to call patients who are under stage one and stage two and are under home quarantine. The calls are made daily and cover Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Keningau, Tawau and Putatan.
Through the calls, patients undergoing quarantine can get assurance, will feel better and receive guidance,” he said.
“This is an effort by the government to ensure the wellbeing of the people…as of now, some 8,000 people are contacted by the centre,” he said.
Shahelmey also said that a total of 500 people have gone for the walk-in vaccination at Dewan Sri Putatan on September 1.
He said that 1,500 vaccines were prepared for the walk-ins.
He added that Putatan was on the way to attain herd immunity with over 90 percent of the community receiving the first vaccine dose and 74 percent having receiving both dosages.
“We will be reaching the 100 percent mark soon,” he said.
In the context of Sabah, Shahelmey said that 59 percent of the community have been given the first dose while 40 percent have received both doses.
“We are on track to reach herd immunity,” he said, stating that the aim was by October.