Swady (right) presents a memento to Ali during the event.
KUCHING (April 6): Around 70 per cent of Saratok residents have registered for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Ali Biju.
He said to date over 1,000 front-liners in Saratok have already been vaccinated.
“So far there has been no negative response from those who have been vaccinated,” he told a press conference after officiating at a briefing on current issues organised by the Information Department at Rumah Dayak in Saratok today.
“I myself have been vaccinated and have not felt the negative effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.”
In his speech, the Saratok MP thanked the Information Department for being among those actively promoting vaccination registration in the community.
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He also appealed to the public not to believe rumours about the vaccine spread on social media as there are irresponsible quarters seeking to mislead instead of helping to stop the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ali explained that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme is one of the government’s key areas under the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (Pemerkasa).
“Under the Main Focus, which is to control the spread of Covid-19, there are initiatives where the government is implementing various measures involving public health, including the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme,” he said.
He further pointed out that the government is prioritising stopping the Covid-19 pandemic, hence the increase in allocation for immunisation programmes from RM3 billion to RM5 billion to accelerate targeted immunisation by December.
State Information director Swady Guliling said apart from briefing sessions, which aim to explain current issues to the people, the department also holds ‘Info On Wheels’ (IOW) as one of the ways to deliver information to the public.
Betong Health Office medical officer Dr Johnny Pangkas also presented a briefing on the Covid-19 vaccine during the event.
Some 100 participants, consisting of community leaders, department heads, and local agency staff, were in attendance.