KUCHING, June 15 — Sarawak will only allow the ‘walk in and get your jab’ approach for the current Covid-19 vaccination programme in its interior areas, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He explained that under this approach, longhouse and village folks at these areas would register themselves after getting their vaccination.
He said the medical department would advise the people at these areas to converge at a strategic health centre or school for them to get the vaccination.
“However, we cannot allow this approach in towns and urban areas as it will invite mad scramble for the vaccination.
“In cities and towns we still require the people to register themselves through the MySejahtera app,” he said yesterday.
Uggah, who is also Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, said the federal Covid-19 task force had allowed Sarawak to use the hybrid system of the MySejahtera and manual registrations.
According to him, the departments and agencies involved have rough estimates of the number of recipients residing in such areas to ensure sufficient amount of doses are brought.
“Sarawak is almost as big as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia.
“It is a very big challenge to vaccinate some two million qualified Sarawakians who are scattered all over. Many places are in its deep interiors.
“But so far the state has been doing very well as it is among the top states in the vaccination programme,” he said.
He also urged those living in the state’s interior areas not to miss out on their vaccination schedule as the vaccination is very important to keep everyone safe.
Uggah yesterday visited the Sri Aman Civic Centre vaccination centre where he was given a briefing on Sri Aman Covid-19 Vaccination Programme rollout plan.
Accompanied by a political secretary to the chief minister Dr Richard Rapu, they flew to the Nanga Tiga Health Clinic in Spak, Betong to observe a mobile team from the state Health Department giving vaccinations to about 140 people from several neighbouring longhouses.
On hand to brief him there was Betong Division medical officer Dr Johnny Pangkas. — Borneo Post
