KAPIT, June 11 ― A large-scale walk-in Covid-19 vaccination programme will be held in Mabong District covering the Baleh state constituency by Monday, involving about 30,000 longhouse residents, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing said today.
He said the programme will take “at least a month” to complete as the medical staff and officers from the Kapit Division Resident’s Office and Mabong District Office must use various means of transport for it.
“Moreover, Mabong District is as big as the state of Pahang so you can see that it is not that easy to get every resident living in the scattered longhouses for the programme,” he told Malay Mail.
Baleh is in Mabong District’s administrative area.
Masing, who is the Baleh assemblyman, said the walk-in programme can only start on June 14 or June 16 as the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines is expected to arrive either today or tomorrow in Kapit town.
He said the vaccines will then be brought to Mabong District.
He said he does not know why Baleh is the first constituency chosen for the walk-in vaccination programme before the next stop will be Baram, Limbang-Lawas and some parts of Sri Aman Division.
Asked how the programme will be carried out, he said officers from Kapit Division’s Resident’s Office and Mabong District Office have already getting the name lists of the longhouse dwellers and reminding the Tuai Rumah (headmen) to ensure the attendance of their followers on the date and time.
“They (officers) have done this for quite some time,” Masing said, adding that as the state assemblyman, he also helps.
He said the longhouse residents whose names are not on the lists compiled by the Kapit Division’s Resident’s Office and Mabong District Office can also come to the vaccination centres.
He said all schools in the Baleh constituency have been converted into walk-in vaccination centres.
“When the time comes, the longhouse dwellers, either they have manually registered their names or not, will go to these nearby schools.
“But one thing is very important that they must bring along their identity card to show that they are Sarawakians,” he said.
“At the schools, they will be vaccinated without any question asked,” he said.
Masing said he expects the vaccination programme at Nanga Mujong to last for at least three days as many residents are from many longhouses.
He said these longhouse dwellers are unable to register their names through MySejahtera Apps because there is no Internet connectivity in their areas.
Masing said walk-in vaccinations have started in Kapit town.
“This happens when there are vacancies available when those who have registered their names did not turn up,” he said, adding the medical staff then allow them to be vaccinated without prior appointment.
