By Jacob Achoi
KUCHING, July 13: The government will use the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) to administer Covid-19 vaccines to people in rural areas.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the move was necessary to allow eligible people living in rural, hard-to-reach areas in the State to get vaccinated.
Four villages in upper Padawan, which are under Padawan sub-district — Kpg Sapit, Kpg Nyegor, Kpg Muk Ayun and Kpg Sting — will be served with the vaccines via FDS.
“It is the ultimate goal of the state government to vaccinate all those eligible to receive the (Covid-19) vaccination, because it is only through vaccination that we can protect ourselves from the virus.
“And to do that, the State government, through the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) will remain focused to vaccinate those eligible and use the resources that we have to protect our people,” Uggah, who is SDMC chairman told reporters today during a visit to a vaccination centre at Bra’ang Bayur Health Clinic, along Jalan Borneo Heights.
Apart from the FDS, the vaccination exercise for the four villages will also be carried out via boat, he added.
Uggah also said that 8,067 people in Padawan sub-district have registered for the vaccination, where 4,982 people (61.82 per cent) have received their first dose.
Uggah also pointed out that the vaccination in the State would only be for those aged 18 and above.
“We have not received instruction from the National Security Council (MKN) to allow those aged 18 and below to get vaccinated, so we will stick to the earlier decision to only vaccinate those aged 18 and above,” he asserted.
Uggah also told reporters that the State government will not wait for the single dose CanSino vaccine to arrive to continue with the vaccination exercise.
“The vaccine is supposed to arrive in July and now we are in July, so we can’t wait.
“So we will continue with the available vaccines,” he said, adding that the CanSino vaccine may be used for the Penans, who are still not receptive to double dose vaccinations.
Present during the visit were Assistant Minister of Transport Datuk Dr Jerip Susil and Deputy state secretary Datu Ik Pahon Joyik and Dr Arvin Thiagarajah, among others. — DayakDaily
