RANAU, June 27 — A total of 14,900 people or 19 per cent of 78,000 residents in Ranau have received their Covid-19 vaccine shots as of today, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said.

Joachim, who is also Sabah Industrial Development Minister, said around 30 per cent of residents in the district located 108 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu and known as the ‘home’ of Mount Kinabalu, have registered via the MySejahtera application and were waiting for their turn to receive their vaccinations.

"I ask villagers not to believe allegations regarding the vaccines’ negative effects as claimed on social media by irresponsible parties, the vaccines are good for us all.

"The total of those vaccinated in the district shows the good results from various programmes conducted by the government by the Health Ministry such as the outreach programmes,” he told reporters here today.

He had earlier inspected the Covid-19 vaccination outreach programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kawiyan here that has targeted 150 vaccination doses to residents in the area in addition to distributing food basket assistance.

Meanwhile, Ranau Health Officer Dr Fionna Vincent Bizini said the programme is scheduled to continue in Kaingaran and Paginatan early next month.

He said Ranau now has nine vaccination centres namely the Ranau community hall, the Panginatan, Timbua, Perancangan, Lohan, Kundasang, Bundu Tuhan health clinics, Ranau mother and child clinic as well as the Ranau Hospital. — Bernama