A nurse prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. — AFP photo
SIBU (Feb 9): A total of 187,158 Covid-19 vaccine booster doses have been administered in Sibu Division as of Feb 7 according to the Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC).
In a statement, the committee said this covered 86.47 per cent of the total eligible adults in the division as of the end of last month.
As cases have been increasing of late, SDDMC called on all adults to get the booster shot in preparation for the battle against Covid-19 in Sibu Division.
“All adults who have not received the booster dose are encouraged to take such vaccinations as soon as possible at the health clinics in Sibu Division or at private clinics,” the statement added.
SDDMC met yesterday following an increase in Covid-19 cases in Sibu Division, most likely due to the Omicron variant.
Yesterday, Sibu Division reported 35 Covid-19 cases – a sharp increase compared to the last few days.
The upward trend began with Chinese New Year celebrations on Feb 1 and weekly cases have shown an increasing trend from 15 during the first week (Jan 2-8), to 19 cases in the second week, and 49 cases in the fifth week (Jan 30 to Feb 5).
SDDMC said data for Malaysia showed unvaccinated individuals are nine times more likely to get infected and 63 times more likely to die from Covid-19 than individuals who have completed their vaccination or have taken a booster dose.
On Monday, Sibu Division began the National Covid-10 Immunisation Programme for children aged five to 11, with 920 doses already administered – 620 in Sibu, 200 in Selangau, and100 in Kanowit.
SDDMC said the programme would involve some 32,000 children and will run in primary schools until next month for the first dose.
“Parents who are yet to register their children aged between five and 12 to receive the children’s Covid-19 vaccination are urged to immediately do so,” said the committee.
On the situation at Sibu Hospital, SDDMC said it is fully prepared to face increasing Covid-19 cases.
“Bed Occupancy Rate (BOR) in Sibu Hospital for Covid-19 cases is still low and until today is still below 20 per cent. Currently, only two Covid-19 cases need oxygen assistance at the hospital,” said SDDMC.
The committee added the existing Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC) in Sibu Division, which can accommodate 360 patients – 200 in Sibu, 100 in Kanowit, 60 in Selangau – are still empty at present.
“A new PKRC for high-risk cases is being developed inside Sibu Hospital area with a capacity of 100 beds and will be ready for use in time of need,” said SDDMC.
The committee reminded the public to adopt the new norms and proven standard operating procedures (SOPs) that have effectively reduced the transmission of Covid-19.
“Practice the use of facemasks and adhere to physical distancing while outdoors at all times. In addition, the public are also advised to adopt Covid-19 self-screening tests before visiting family members in the villages or longhouses,” added the statement.
SDDMC also welcomed employers to continue allowing work from home or rotation systems of attendance to create a safe workplace environment.
Last week, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) director Prof Dr David Perera said Omicron has replaced Delta as the dominant circulating Covid-19 variant in Sarawak, with a detection rate of 78 per cent discovered from surveillance data of positive cases from Jan 3-26 this year.
Omicron cases were detected in samples taken from Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu, Kapit, Mukah, and Miri.
Dr Perera also said the majority of Omicron cases were of the BA.1.1 lineage but three cases of the more infectious BA.2 lineage were identified in Kapit.