SPAOH, Aug 26: Sarawak will start its Covid-19 vaccination programme for children between the ages of 12 and 17-years- old once the green light has been given by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas explained that Sarawak is still waiting for further instructions from MOH before it can proceed with the next phase of vaccinations for young people in Sarawak.
“We will kick off the vaccination for this group of people soon.
“It is estimated that the vaccination programme will involve some 96,000 recipients,” he said when officiating at a community policing workshop which was attended by 55 Tuai Rumah held at the community hall here yesterday.
Uggah, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, pointed out that it has been reported that young children and teens aged between 12 and 17 accounted for 23.34 per cent of Covid-19 cases in the State.
As for the Covid-19 Delta variant, which was first detected in Sarawak some time in July and has been responsible for a surge in Covid-19 cases in the State, he urged the public to not be lax but continue to strictly adhere to all Covid-19 safety measures.
“The health crisis is not only impacting Sarawak but also Brunei, which had zero cases previously and is seeing an increase in the number of cases of late,” he added.
Uggah emphasised that the Sarawak government has allocated RM270 million since February 2021 for the supply of vaccines.
“The allocation was approved by Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) and has not been used after former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Immunisation Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin rejected the State government’s decision to procure its own vaccines,” he explained.
The close relationship between the State and Federal governments, he continued, was the contributing factor to Sarawak’s success in rolling out vaccines for 91 per cent of the eligible population to date. — DayakDaily
