KOTA KINABALU: The federal government has answered Sabah’s repeated calls for more vaccines to speed up the state’s vaccination target of 60% by October and to reach herd immunity by the end of the year.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) Khairy Jamaluddin had informed him this during a virtual meeting here on Friday that Sabah will be given priority to receive the single dose CanSino Covid-19 vaccine when Malaysia gets its three million supply next month.
“We will reserve the first shipment for Sabah and similarly, we will notify and give option to Sabah on Johnson & Johnson (single dose vaccine),” Khairy said in a statement by the chief minister’s office.
The decision was made following the Sabah’s call to boost supply of vaccines as it fell behind other states in terms of percentage of population vaccinated.
“It is also crucial that we reach communities in the interior areas and far-flung islands whose mobility is hampered by rough terrain and distance,” Hajiji told Khairy.
The Chief Minister also said that the state has opened up 177 vaccine administration centres (PPV) throughout Sabah, and together with mobile outreach facilities and the Army’s Medic Vaccination programme, are expecting to make its target by October.
Thanking the federal government for all cooperation extended to Sabah in the vaccination programme, Hajiji welcomed Khairy’s promise in the midst of vaccine supply constraints.
Also present at the virtual meet were Housing and Local Government Minister and Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Minister of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Shahelmey Yahya and State Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Safar Untong.
Meanwhile, Sabah Health Director Dr Rose Nani Mudin disclosed that Sabah’s first integrated vaccine administration centre will start operation next week at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
This centre will roll out free Covid-19 vaccines and allow private hospitals to assist in speeding up the vaccination process.
This will ease the load of current overwhelmed public hospitals, she added.