Hajiji and Khairy (right) co-chairing the CITF meeting on Monday.
KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor and newly appointed Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin chaired the state’s Covid-19 Immunization Task Force (CITF) at Menara Kinabalu here on Monday.
Khairy is on his first visit to Sabah after being appointed Health Minister on August 27.
“I would like to congratulate Khairy who is now leading the Ministry of Health. The Health Minister’s visit to Sabah also brought good news to the state, especially regarding the increase in vaccination activities for the CanSino vaccine through mobile outreach.
“Besides that, the addition of medical equipment to Sabah through the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) such as oxygen cylinders, oxygen regulator boxes and Covid-19 medicines is expected to arrive this week.
“The same goes for the addition of ambulances and medical officers. Therefore, the state government would like to thank the Federal Government, especially the Minister of Health. We also hope that Sabah will get an adequate supply of vaccines,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Hajiji also disclosed that the management of Covid-19 in Sabah is monitored and managed by the Covid-19 Sabah Disaster Management Committee which meets daily.
Hajiji added that the State Government is grateful to the Federal Government for allowing Sabah to move and remain in Phase Two of the National Rehabilitation Plan.
The Chief Minister said the State Government also distributed food baskets to the affected residents in Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) areas and also to those subjected to quarantine at home.
Hajiji said as of September 4 the percentage of adults who had completed their vaccination was at 44.8 per cent while the percentage of Sabahans who had received the first dose was 63.7 per cent.
“The State Government is confident that with the vaccination centres being able to vaccinate 83,140 people a day and the implementation of outreach programs to remote areas, the target to reach at least 80 per cent of the population immunized will be achieved this October.
“We are also grateful to the Federal Government for its concern in providing the necessary vaccines. The supply of 1,056,360 doses of vaccines in July followed by 1,650,510 doses in August and 765,920 doses until September 5 has been able to boost vaccination activities and increase the percentage of the population being immunized,” he said.
According to Hajiji, based on the number of remaining residents who have not received the vaccine and the number of people who are still waiting for their second dose, Sabah still needs a relatively large supply of vaccines, namely 2,672,645 doses.
“This amount is only for adults and not involving residents aged 12 to 17,” he said, adding that as of September 4, a total of 122,190 residents aged 18 and under in Sabah have registered in the MySejahtera.