SIBU, May 11: Sibu MP Oscar Ling is calling on the federal government to consider vaccinating the elderly at nursing homes here.
In a statement today, he said the vaccination for residents of nursing home is warranted so as to avoid another nursing home cluster from occurring.
He noted that all nursing homes in Kuching have already been given vaccines, but not those in Sibu.
“All nursing homes in Sibu still have not been allocated vaccines for old folks under their care to be vaccinated. Even though we are in phase 2 of our vaccination programme, but the most vulnerable group in our community, old folks under nursing care, still have not been vaccinated,” he said.
Nursing home clusters once contributed significantly to the rise of Covid-19 cases in Sibu, with two clusters tied to nursing home recorded at the very beginning of the Pasai outbreak earlier this year.
“We cannot afford another round of outbreaks in nursing homes,” he emphasised.
Ling warned that with the increasing numbers of cases in the Central zone of Sarawak, especially Selangau, Selangau patients also will be transferred to Sibu hospital, which may be overwhelmed.
“We are reaching maximum capacity already at the moment. If there is another round of outbreaks, we might face shortages in ICU’s beds and even wards to place them in,” he said.
As of May 10, there were 200 Covid-19 patients in Sibu Hospital and the number of bed are limited.
He urged the federal government to not sideline Sibu when it is one of the worst hit areas in Sarawak by prioritising all vulnerable groups, including residents of nursing homes. — DayakDaily
