KUCHING, March 6: Private healthcare facilities in the state are prepared to assist the Sarawak government to expedite the Covid-19 vaccination process, said Society of Private Medical Practitioners Sarawak (SPMPS) president Dr Liew Shan Fap.
According to Dr Liew in a press statement today, the involvement from everyone is needed in order for Sarawak to achieve its aims to complete the vaccination by August 2021, which is six months ahead of the nation’s target of Feb 2022.
“The private healthcare facilities including private hospitals and general practitioners (GP) clinics are well prepared and ready to be included as vaccination centres in Phase 2, as well as the Phase 3 of the vaccination programme,” he said.
Dr Liew noted the most crucial aspect of the vaccination programme is the public’s acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccination.
He emphasised 70 per cent of the state’s population needed to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity.
“As people below the age of 18-years old will be excluded for vaccination, we need a high participation rate to achieve the target,” he added.
On the same note, Dr Liew called on the public to get themselves vaccinated and assured that the three vaccines (Pfizer BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines) approved by the Ministry of Health are safe and effective in preventing serious complication due to Covid-19 infection.
He said the side effects of the vaccines are mostly minor and the most worrying side effects of severe allergy and anaphylaxis are extremely rare.
“Please be assured that effective measures are put in place at vaccination centres to treat these side effects if they do occur.
“As such, I urge everyone to come to have vaccination unless you have absolute contraindication. Consult your doctor if in doubt,” he said. – DayakDaily
