Dr Chin Zin Hing
KUCHING (Apr 4): Sarawak Health director Dr Chin Zin Hing has advised those who have completed their Covid-19 vaccination to continue observing the new norm and standard operating procedures (SOP) because it is still possible for them to get infected by the virus.
He said after the completion of vaccination for Covid-19, it would take about three weeks for one to achieve the desired immunity. However, he added, one is not 100 per cent protected after that.
“All those who have completed vaccination are still required to practice non-pharmaceutical interventions such as wearing face masks, maintaining physical distance and also washing hands regularly.
“All are still required to abide by all the SOP. It is there to control the spread of Covid-19 because if someone, after vaccination, doesn’t practice and observes the SOP such as not practicing the non-pharmaceutical intervention, it is still possible for one to get infected,” he said.
Dr Chin was speaking during a Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) daily Covid-19 press conference update here today, led by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. Also present were Minister of Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
On March 30, the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) reported that 591,921 people in Sarawak or 28.57 per cent of the state’s population have registered for the vaccination exercise through mainstream channels such as MySejahtera as listed by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF)
On top of that figure, Dr Sim that day also clarified that another 700,000 Sarawakians have also registered for the vaccination programme manually such as through their district and resident offices or nearest health facilities.
He pointed out that because the 700,000 had registered manually, they were not listed in the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) list, thus not included in the JKJAV report.
“The state needs minimum 70 per cent of the population, or 99 per cent of those aged above 18 years old which is about two million people, to be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity to protect Sarawak from Covid-19,” Dr Sim added.
The state is targeting at least 2.2 million people in Sarawak, where 200,000 of them are non-citizens and expats, to be vaccinated by the end of August this year for the state to be able to achieve herd immunity.