Hajiji (left) giving away food baskets to mountain guides.
KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor has urged the Covid-19 vaccination mobile outreach programme in interior parts of Sabah to be intensified to ensure more people are inoculated.
He said Sabah would receive one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines this month and another 1.2 million doses next month, which would certainly help boost the number of vaccine recipients in the state.
He hoped that the vaccination drive would be implemented smoothly, including the mobile outreach programme, to make sure no one was left out of the National Covid-19 Immunization Programme (PICK).
“We are aware that rural folks do not use the MySejahtera application but through the mobile outreach programme, they will be able to get vaccinated.
“The increase of vaccine supply (to Sabah) this month and the following month will help increase the number of vaccine recipients in the state,” Hajiji said after attending a briefing on the status of Covid-19 and PICK in Ranau during his one-day trip to Kundasang.
He said the increase in vaccine supply would also prevent the people from contracting the virus and curb the spread of the pandemic.
Earlier, Ranau district officer Syahrin Samsir briefed Hajiji on the current Covid-19 situation and PICK in Ranau.
To date, a total of 16,425 people or 21 per cent in Ranau have received their first dose of vaccine, whereas 7,419 people (9.5 per cent) have taken their second jab.
Ranau has a population of 113,500, including 75,900 who are above 18 years old. A total of 25,396 people in Ranau have registered for Covid-19 vaccination.
The Ranau District Community Hall, which is now a vaccine administration centre (PPV), could accommodate about 300 persons.
The Chief Minister also presented a one-off cash aid of RM300 to 290 mountain guides, which amounted to a sum of RM87,000.
He also gave away food baskets and a mock cheque worth RM30,000 to Persatuan Malim Gunung Kinabalu through allocation from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, while another RM20,000 was presented to Persatuan Porter Gunung Kinabalu from Sabah Parks’ allocation.
He also inspected the administration of vaccines to mountain guides and porters at the event.
In his visit to the hawker stalls in Kundasang town, Hajiji said the government would look into the issues raised by the vegetable seller association.
“We have listened to their grievances and requests and I take note of the issues they have raised, including their request to pave the parking spaces at the stalls.
“Kundasang is not only visited by domestic tourists but also foreign travellers, and the hawker stalls are one of the popular destinations.”