KUCHING, May 17 — An official response statement will be issued tomorrow (May 18) by the Sarawak government regarding the use of AstraZeneca (AZ) Covid-19 vaccine in the state, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

“We will issue statement tomorrow (May 18),” said Uggah in a WhatsApp message to reporters via his aide.

Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian when contacted also said an official statement regarding the matter would be issued by Uggah, who is also State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman.

Earlier today, it was reported that Sarawak had agreed to make available the AZ vaccine on a voluntary basis to the people in the state after initially deciding against it due to public concerns over its side effects.

Advertisement

National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin told a press conference via Zoom that the state had given its consent, adding that Sarawak would be included in the second round of the vaccine’s opt-in programme.

“Sarawak has agreed to the voluntary use of AstraZeneca and we will communicate with the state Health Department on what is the best way to implement it in Sarawak,” he said when asked about Sarawak’s position on the AZ vaccine.

The registration for the second round of voluntary vaccinations opens on May 23 to 26.

Advertisement

Khairy had also said high risk groups such as those above the age of 60 will be given early access for the AZ vaccine.

Sarawak had last month turned away the AZ vaccine when Khairy offered it to the state after the federal government decided to remove it from the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and to make it available to Malaysians via the voluntary programme.

Besides possible blood clots, Khairy had said previously that the possible side effects of the AZ vaccine could include severe headaches, blurry vision, weakness and drowsiness, unexplained bleeding and shortness of breath.

However, the voluntary programme was a huge success when it was launched in the Klang Valley on May 2 with its 268,000 slots taken up within hours. Subsequently, Khairy offered the vaccine to Sarawak again but the state did not give any public response.

This led to a survey by The Borneo Post which found that many favoured having the AZ vaccine as an option in Sarawak though they might not necessarily want to be vaccinated with it themselves.

On May 13, Dr Sim who is also SDMC advisor revealed that the state was reconsidering the AZ vaccine as part of a rollout together with vaccines purchased by the state government next month.

Sarawak aims to complete the immunisation programme by August this year, some five months ahead of the national plan. — Borneo Post