(From left) Dr Sim and Wee hand out face shields to the vaccine recipients from KMC Flats. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (July 5): Individuals detained in police lock-ups or immigration depots, as well as those working as security personnel and cleaners under private establishments might be included into groups up for targeted Covid-19 vaccination, said Minister for Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said the suggestion derived from the situation where there had been active Covid-19 clusters in Sarawak involving people from these categories.
“We may consider putting these detainees, security personnel and cleaners under the targeted category for Covid-19 vaccination.
Dr Sim speaks to reporters before sending off KMC Flats residents to go for vaccination Tanah Puteh Health Clinic. Behind the minister is Wee. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
“We have to target these groups of people because they may affect our economic opening-up policy if they’re not fully vaccinated,” the minister told reporters before sending off residents of KMC Flats to go for vaccination at Tanah Puteh Health Clinic yesterday.
The flat community at Jalan Ban Hock here has over 500 households, from which more than 200 individuals have registered for the Covid-19 vaccination.
A total of 107 senior citizens were scheduled to receive their vaccine jabs at the clinic yesterday, with 12 of them being transported there via free bus service.
Dr Sim, who is the advisor to the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), said Sarawak would seek to seek and identify individuals under the high-risk category, adding that the objective of vaccination was to protect all communities from the coronavirus.
He also said Sarawak was eyeing to have over 50 per cent of its population fully vaccinated – having received the two doses – upon the celebration of Sarawak Day this July 22.
“Once the majority of the local population have been administered with the second dose of the vaccine, which requires 10 to 14 days to help boost the antibodies to be fully developed, we can slowly open up the economy.
“As long as majority of the population have been vaccinated, chances of a major Covid-19 outbreak would be slim, even when positive infections are detected.”
(From right) Dr Sim, Councillor Kho Teck Wan and Wee send off the residents of KMC Flats who are going for vaccination at Tanah Puteh Health Clinic. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
On the mobile vaccination units, Dr Sim said they were meant to reach out to bed-ridden programme, but the downside was a mobile team could only visit a maximum of eight families per day.
Nonetheless, he said Sarawak was able to achieve a commendable feat in its vaccination drive because all parties had been rendering full cooperation.
“From the frontliners who have been working double shifts, to the general practitioners’ clinics and private hospitals that have been scaling up their vaccination efforts,” said Dr Sim, while calling upon the people to stay strong and expressing his confidence that economic activities would rebound.
Meanwhile, Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, who was also present at the drive, said Kuching South City Council (MBKS) would seek to support the state government’s vaccination programme, including by providing transportation assistance.
“Our key task is very simple – to ensure that the majority of the people would undergo vaccination, whether they are living in detached or semi-detached houses, or at KMC Flats here,” he said, while calling upon the community would play its part in the fight against Covid-19 by registering for vaccination, and also to avoid politicking over certain issues.