Abang Johari greets the frontline workers at the UCTS PPV.
SIBU (June 30): Economic sectors in Sibu Division are expected to reopen in the middle of August, once 80 per cent of the population has been vaccinated.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the progress of vaccination here is within the state’s target with 149,743 or 64.4 per cent of the total population in the division having received at least the first dose of vaccine.
“Once we have achieved 80 per cent by August, the economic sectors will be opened; we can open the markets, coffee shops, life would go back to normal.
“The moment you achieve herd immunity, you are protected, meaning the spread of Covid-19 will be less, then it is okay to open the economy, the businesses will come back,” he told a press conference after visiting the vaccination centre (PPV) at University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) today.
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He said Sarawak has focused on two aspects in the fight against Covid-19 — vaccination and self-discipline.
Abang Johari stressed that those who have been vaccinated must continue to strictly observe standard operating procedures (SOPs) including wearing face masks, practising physical distancing, and washing their hands regularly.
He said Covid-19 cases are showing a downward trend due to the massive vaccination exercise throughout Sarawak.
The state is reaching out to everyone, including those in rural areas, in the effort to ensure that 80 per cent of the population is vaccinated by August, he said.
He pointed out the state government is also focussed on ensuring employees from various workplaces are vaccinated as soon as possible.
“We have more than 30 clusters from workplaces, which involved about 1,700 cases since end of May.
“And these cases, these workers, they go back to their kampung and create another cluster, affecting the people at the kampung. Because of that, we want to vaccinate all the people in the workplaces in order to protect the people,” he said.
On the UCTS PPV, which is for employees of private companies and organisations, Abang Johari said some 13,000 workers from various sectors — including shipping, timber, and plantations — will be vaccinated within these two weeks.
The PPV is held in collaboration with Pansar Berhad, UCTS, and Segi University Sibu Clinical Campus.
“I see that the vaccination progress at UCTS is very fast. They can do 1,000, or 1,500, or even 2,000 vaccinations in a day.
“Once the vaccination for the industry has been completed, we have discussed, we will continue to give the vaccination to the members of the public at UCTS.
“The reason being is that after the first dose, you need a second dose, so there is a gap in between, we will give vaccination to the members of the public at UCTS,” he said.
He said the division’s other PPV are at Sibu Hospital, Kanowit Hospital, Lanang Health Clinic, Sibujaya Health Clinic, Selangau Health Clinic, Sibu Indoor Stadium, Selangau Multipurpose Hall, and Kanowit District Office.
The Sibu Indoor Stadium can administer between 1,600 and 2,000 doses daily, while Selangau Multipurpose Hall and Kanowit District Office each have the capacity to administer between 400 and 800 vaccinations, he said.
“We also wanted the private hospitals to provide such services, so in Sibu we have two namely Rejang Medical Centre (1,000 recipients) and KPJ Sibu Specialist Medical Centres (500 recipients),” he said.
He added that seven general practitioner (GP) clinics here had been approved to vaccinate the public.
Abang Johari launches the Vaccination Bus at UCTS. From left are Dr Annuar and Uggah.
“We also reached out to the rural areas, I had launched two buses this morning — one from Pansar Berhad and one from UCTS — and they will be part of our mobile team to go to the targeted areas, especially to the elderly who cannot walk and those areas where people cannot come for vaccination.
“Our approach is this, if they did not register, we will give the jab first and then the secretariat will register for them. This has been effective throughout the state,” he said.
He added Sibu Division has four mobile teams — two in Sibu and one each in Kanowit and Selangau.
Among those present during the visit were deputy chief ministers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Minister of Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, and Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee.