Hajiji observes a nurse as she administers the Covid-19 vaccine to a recipient.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah aims to vaccinate 30,000 people daily starting from July, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said the vaccination rate in Sabah is expected to increase as the State Government has intensified its efforts and strategies, which included the establishment of more vaccination centres (PPV) and mobile outreach programmes.
Since the inception of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme on February 26, a total of 249,945 or 8.5 per cent of the targeted 2.9 million Sabah population have received their first dose of vaccine.
“For June, the doses would be arriving weekly as planned. We expect to receive more doses in July and the following months. We predict that by July, we would be able to vaccinate 30,000 people daily,” he told reporters after visiting the PPV in Wisma Wanita here on Tuesday.
It is understood that Sabah is currently using the Pfizer, Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Hajiji further stressed that the State Government is confident that the state will achieve herd immunity by the end of the year.
In view of this, he reiterated that the people should not delay their registration for the vaccination programme.
“Let us work together towards achieving herd immunity and put a stop to the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
As of June 13, a total of 670,282 people or 22.9 per cent of the targeted population in Sabah have registered for vaccination.
When asked whether Sabah should purchase its own vaccines, Hajiji said that there is no need for the state as it has ample supply.
In order to get more people, particularly in the rural areas to register, the State Information Department together with several federal and state departments and agencies have intensified their outreach programme efforts.
Hajiji said starting from June, Sabahans would also be able to get their jabs at Gleneagles Hospital and Rafflesia Medical Centre as well as 36 other private clinics in the state.
Apart from that, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Pacific Sutera management has allowed the hotel’s facilities to be used as a PPV.
Similarly, the Sabah Four Wheel Association has also stepped in to volunteer by bringing health workers to rural communities for the outreach programmes.
“The State government would also like to thank the Federal government for including Sabah in phase four of the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (PIKAS) that will commence in July,” he said.
According to Hajiji, Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), which can accommodate 3,500 people daily, will serve as the vaccine administration centre for PIKAS Sabah to inoculate industrial and economic services workers.
Hajiji said the State Health Department has initiated the mobile outreach programme involving 26 teams (one for each district in Sabah) since May 18 to ensure those in the interior are not left out in the immunisation drive.
Also helping out were the Malaysian Armed Forces, which will be sending its medical team to vaccinate people in remote far-flung areas in Sabah through its Program Jiwa Murni. The first location will be at Long Pasia on June 24.
The PPV in Wisma Wanita was one of the 16 new PPVs opened this month.
A total of 95 PPVs have been in operation before the addition of the 16 new ones.
Seventy-two of the existing PPVs were set up in health facilities while another 23 in public facilities.
The PPV in Wisma Wanita, which can accommodate 400 people daily, will cater the state and federal public service personnel in Kota Kinabalu as well as the surrounding communities.
Priority will be given to public service personnel who are constantly on the field and meeting the public such as drivers, despatchers, counter officers and those in the police force, Water Department, Immigration Department, Education Department among others.
There are 20,549 personnel in the state public service while 107,172 are working in the federal public service in Sabah.
Those serving in other districts would receive their vaccines at the existing PPVs in their respective districts.
Hajiji added that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) had also set up its own PPV with the capacity of 1,000 people daily beginning June 14 to cater for its lecturers and students as well as nearby residents.
The other PPVs that would be opened soon are the Manggatal Community Centre, KDCA Hall, Libaran Multi-Purpose Hall and Balung IPG Hall.