Dr Sim (centre) visiting Timberland Medical Centre in Kuching with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas (second right) yesterday. – Photo via Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian/Facebook
KUCHING (May 26): Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has painted a grim picture on the Covid-19 situation in the country with the warning that worse is yet to come if the people do not get their act together.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee advisor said in a Facebook post last night that unlike the Movement Control Order (MCO) period last year, Peninsula Malaysia now had to contend with the South African and Indian Covid-19 variants.
“More challenging for Sarawak as we have two festivals, Raya and Gawai. South African variant already breached our border control, reached Sarawak! Wondering when the India Variant from West Malaysia will reach Sarawak,” he said.
He said it was also alarming though not a surprise that fatalities in Sarawak were getting younger and without any comorbidities.
“In Sarawak, for 2021, there are more children (less than 20 years old) infected than those older than 50 years old!
“We will need to take extra policy measures, extra efforts by each and everyone of us, so we don’t suffer the same horrific consequences like India and soon West Malaysia. Let us fight Covid-19 together. Our no 1 priority at this critical stage of Covid-19 is to keep everyone alive,” he said.
Malaysia yesterday recorded its highest 24-hour tally of Covid-19 cases at 7,289, including 513 cases in Sarawak. The country’s cumulative number of cases is now 525,889.
The country also recorded 60 deaths, raising the cumulative fatality to 2,369. Sarawak had six fatalities, bringing its death toll to 261.
Dr Sim, meanwhile, urged the public not to be deceived by the small number of infections recorded in Kuching yesterday.
“Because of population size, high mobility, active social network…just need a few amplifying events and we will be like West Malaysia,” he said.
Miri had the most new Covid-19 cases yesterday at 94, followed by Bintulu (81), Sibu (49), Samarahan (48), Kuching (45), Kapit (30), Tatau (25), Selangau (21), Subis (12), Saratok (12), Tanjung Manis (11), Pakan (11), Simunjan (10) and Mukah (10); while the other districts had single digit cases.
In a separate Facebook post, Dr Sim said seven private hospitals in Sarawak that have signed up to administer Covid-19 vaccines under the national immunisation programme will be able to vaccinate 800 people a day as a start.
He said five of them had started vaccination yesterday, namely, Timberland Medical Centre, Borneo Medical Centre and KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital here, Rejang Medical Centre in Sibu and Columbia Asia Hospital in Miri.
“Hope that after the initial start, all the private hospitals and general practitioners who had signed contracts with ProtectHealth can help when we scale up to vaccinate as many Sarawakians as fast as possible from next month onwards in view of substantial increase in doses of Covid-19 vaccines,” he said
ProtectHealth Malaysia is a not-for-profit company under the Health ministry which is now coordinating private sector medical personnel in the vaccination efforts, including in the AstraZeneca (AZ) Covid-19 vaccine opt-in programme.
Some 42 general practitioners in Sarawak have also signed up to administer the Covid-19 vaccine since May 4.
Dr Sim, who is also Local Government and Housing Minister, pointed out that ProtectHealth was paying the private hospitals RM14 per jab to vaccinate the public with the Pfizer or Sinovac vaccine for free.
He also emphasised that all appointments for vaccination were done via MySejahtera and no walk-in appointments were allowed.