KOTA KINABALU, April 5 — Sabah has dispensed a total of 67,808 Covid-19 vaccine doses as of April 1 under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme but said it is running behind in terms of registration.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the number of people who have registered to receive the vaccine is woefully behind, despite mobilisation teams grassroots efforts.

“Only 12.4 per cent or 362,514 people of the targeted 2.9 million in Sabah have registered as of April 4.

“Therefore, I urge all quarters to be committed and register for the vaccine,” he said at the engagement session with the Covid-19 Emergency Technical Management Committee at Magellan Sutera here Monday.

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According to Hajiji, information programmes in collaboration with the Community Development Leader Unit to explain to the public on the vaccine’s benefits have been mobilised in every corner of the state.

“I was made to understand that some of the people are either afraid, unconvinced or do not fully comprehend [about the benefit of vaccination].

“There are also those who have fallen prey to fake news out there,” he said.

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In order to support efforts to bolster herd immunity, Hajiji said these groups must not be neglected but be given a clear and easy to understand explanation on the ongoing national Covid-19 vaccination drive.

He said they need to hear credible testimony based on the vaccine confidence narrative from the front liners and leaders.

At the same time, engagement activities on the vaccination programme particularly in the rural and sub-urban areas must be intensified.

He said correct information must be delivered directly to the people in rural areas where access to information through the new media platform might be lacking.

Earlier it was reported that the state might consider a deadline to spur the registration and enable the immunisation programme to run more efficiently.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) cum joint-chairman of the Covid-19 Technical Managament Committee Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said Sabah was the ninth state in the commitee’s series of engagement visits to explain on the Covid-19 emergency.