(From left) Kho Teck Wan, Dr Ivan Yap and Sangi Abu.
KUCHING: Local community leaders sing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s praises for stepping forward to become the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine upon the launch of the vaccination programme in Sarawak at the end of this month.
Among them is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan, who is proud of Abang Johari’s commitment in proving that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe.
“We need to have at least 70 per cent of the population undergoing vaccination in order to achieve the ‘herd immunity’ – only by then could our lives go back to normal.
“However, many people including some of the frontliners, have expressed concern over the side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. Therefore, I am proud to see the CM (Abang Johari) lead by example. I would take the vaccine when it’s time for me,” she told thesundaypost here.
Kho pointed out that the Sarawak government had pledged to allocate extra funds to ensure that every Sarawakian would receive the vaccine, and so would any illegal immigrant here.
“I hope with CM being willing to get the vaccine, more Sarawakians would go for vaccination when it’s their time to do so,” she said.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, in a press conference on Feb 19, said Abang Johari would be the first to be vaccinated under Sarawak’s Covid-19 vaccination programme.
“(It is) already confirmed by (Sarawak Health director) Dr Chin (Zin Hing),” said Uggah, who is also Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, when asked by reporters.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Research and Development Council deputy general manager Dr Ivan Yap said although the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine used new technology such as the synthetic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and had been developed in record time, it had gone through rigorous clinical trials and been scrutinised by key authorities such as the United States Food and Drugs Administration (US FDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) before being deemed safe and effective for use.
“Actually, the use of mRNA in these vaccines is a process that researchers have been working on for over 30 years,” he said, adding that the authorities had been continuously monitoring the safety of these vaccines.
“We need to encourage our general public to get vaccinated and break the chain of Covid-19 infection,” said Dr Yap, in commenting on rumours about the vaccines being unsafe due to their rushed development.
In this regard, he said being the first to be vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was evidence of Abang Johari’s commitment as ‘a true responsible leader’.
“This is a big step towards proving to the public, and also to the sceptics, that the vaccines are safe,” he added.
Sarawak should kick off Phase I of its Covid-19 vaccination programme this Feb 27, at Stadium Perpaduan in Petra Jaya here – starting with the frontliners.
Phase II, set for next month, would focus on high-risk groups, while Phase III scheduled for August would be for those eligible ones, aged 18 and above.
At least two million Sarawakians and about 200,000 non-Sarawakians residing in the state would be taking part in this Covid-19 vaccination programme.
In her remarks, Tuai Rumah (longhouse chieftain) of Kampung Kudei Baru Iban, Sangi Abu said Abang Johari showed his sincerity when he offered himself to be the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine under the state’s vaccination programme.
She already believed that the vaccine had proven to be quite safe, in that the high-risk groups – comprising senior citizens and those suffering from chronic conditions – would be among the first groups to undergo vaccination.
“Although it’s not mandatory for Malaysians to participate in the vaccination programme, we should not be afraid of it.
“I am doing my part as a Tuai Rumah to convey accurate and updated information about the vaccine to the Dayak community in my village. I’m telling my community that this is one of the ways the government is saving the lives of us Malaysians, regardless of our race and creed,” said Sangi.
Thus, she advised members of the Dayak community eligible for the vaccination to take this opportunity, not only because it would be free, but also it would serve as an effective line of defence against the spread of Covid-19 affecting their families and loved ones.
“We should trust the government of the day in coming up with the best solutions to ensure that all of us in Sarawak – and Malaysia – would be free from Covid-19,” she added.
According to the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook, Malaysia is set to receive five types of vaccines – 32 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from the US; 12.8 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK; 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccine from China; 3.5 million doses of CanSino Biologics vaccine also from China; and 6.4 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine from Russia.
Launched by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Feb 16, this handbook could be downloaded via www.vaksincovid.gov.my.
So far, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use in Malaysia, to kick off under the first phase of the national vaccination programme, with the rollout set for Feb 26.