The vaccine recipients wait for their turns at the allocated area in front of Baram Civic Centre.
MARUDI (June 13): The government is doing its best in ensuring that every eligible rural citizen would not miss out on the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination programme, as evidenced by the setting-up of vaccination centres (PPVs) across the rural and suburban areas in Sarawak.
However, this is still a challenging undertaking for sparsely populated areas such as Baram, which is dotted with remote settlements that are only accessible via rivers or offroad tracks.
This is where awareness plays a major role in ensuring that the people in these faraway communities know the importance of getting vaccinated as a way to better-manage the Covid-19 situation.
In this regard, those living in the rural areas under the jurisdiction of Marudi District have demonstrated that neither distance nor other logistical challenges could stop them from coming to the PPV at Baram Civic Centre to get their vaccine jabs.
Today, throngs of people arrived at the PPV to receive either their first or second dose of the vaccine. Upon enquiries, it is found that many of them are from the Lower Baram Zone – a remote area where some longhouses could only be reached from here via a four-hour boat ride along Baram River.
Those met today were the villagers of Rumah Mekal Mundan, Rumah Ijos Jawa, Rumah Nawah Lokeng, Rumah Budin Sandai, Rumah Asam Menggong, Rumah Frederick Belaja and from Rumah Ngelingkong Entuba.
The vaccine recipients also comprised those from Linei and Sungai Belasoi, who had to endure a rough two-hour journey on board four-wheel drive vehicles along rugged timber tracks to reach the vaccination centre here.
Meanwhile, acting Marudi District officer Norlila Ulis said PPV Baram Civic Centre recorded a total of 630 vaccine recipients today, of whom 330 came for their first dose while the other 300 received their second dose.
“To date, 5,161 people in Marudi District have undergone vaccination,” she said.