Sabah still has lowest rate of registration

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Yong holding a copy of the chart of the Covid-19 vaccination registration rate.

KOTA KINABALU: With the country going into MCO 3.0, the urgency of the vaccination against Covid-19 has become even more urgent, said former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

Lee pointed out that getting oneself vaccinated against Covid-19 is a trouble-free experience and takes only about 45 minutes.

“The personal experiences of other people who have gone through the vaccination process are similar to my experience at the QEH2 vaccination centre recently.

“From the start at the registration to the blood pressure checks and interviews, and the actual vaccination, people coming for vaccination were guided by courteous and efficient staff, nurses and doctors.

“After the vaccination, one is asked to rest at another area while looking out for any side effects. As for me, for four days after the vaccination, I have had no side effects at all. I go about my daily work and have my usual diet,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Yong added that although one has no right to insist on their choice of vaccines, the fact is that they are allowed to ask what brand of vaccines that they are to be given. For those who prefer SinoVac, the good news is that the vaccines being used now is SinoVac.

“All sorts of people, including civil servants, have told me that they prefer SinoVac,” he said.

Yong also said that it is comforting that the Sabah government is performing outstandingly in combating the pandemic without having to shut down the economy. Even the Director General of Health has called on the country to follow the successful example of Sabah in combating the pandemic.

He said a reason for the success of Sabah is the self-discipline of the Sabah people in observing the SOP and co-operation with the authorities. As such, the Sabah government is correct in insisting that we maintain our SOP even though the nation will be under MCO 3.0 tomorrow.

“A worrying puzzle is why Sabah is still having the lowest rate of registration of people wanting to be vaccinated. At only 16.43% (481,761 persons, as of Tuesday morning), it means that many qualified persons such as senior citizens are not registering to be vaccinated yet.

“In comparison, Putrajaya has achieved 100% followed by Sarawak (54%, 1.12 million people) and Selangor (53% at 2.57 million people). Most other states have achieved 30% to 50%,” said Yong.