KOTA KINABALU – It appears that the walk-in facility for Covid-19 vaccination in Sabah has been abused, with many jumping the queue.
Following the end of Phase 2 of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, which focused on individuals with medical ailments and those over 60, walk-ins – where slots are offered following no-shows – have seen people as young as 20 and with no chronic diseases turning up for the jab.
John Chan, a 42-year-old engineer, told The Vibes that he and four family members got vaccinated early despite not having illnesses on record.
“My colleague has a niece working with the Health Ministry, and she helped us get our vaccines early.
“We gave all our details to her, and I know my wife hasn’t got chronic illnesses, nor is she in the high-risk category. But, it didn’t take long for us to be called in to get our vaccines.”
His family received their first dose on May 5 and second on June 9.
Another early recipient, Francis Richard, said he got his jab thanks to a friend employed at the ministry.
“After I asked for an early vaccination slot and gave my details, my appointment was immediately updated on MySejahtera. So, I just followed.”
Chan and Richard were registered under the high-risk category despite both not having medical issues.
They said the vaccination centre they went to had a signboard stating “walk-ins” are available as there were doses yet unused.
In another incident, a district education officer called on all office staff to get vaccinated at a nearby facility at the last minute.
One of the employees told The Vibes that his boss was able to secure slots for them, and they rushed to get immunised.
Asked why the doses were not given to teachers, who have to face students, instead, the staffer said he was just following orders.
There has also been talk of people paying “fixers” to get the jab early.
A teacher from Putatan, who wanted to be known only as Michael, said these so-called “agents” would approach those they trusted.
“I heard that this happened at the Federal Administrative Complex vaccination centre near Jalan Sulaman,” he said, citing the overcrowding at the Kota Kinabalu jab site on May 16.
He said the public got wind of a quicker way to get vaccinated and thronged the centre.
The Vibes then obtained a circular from the state Health Department on work rotation for health officers to prevent corruption and power abuse.
Sabah expects a huge consignment of vaccines as the inoculation drive intensifies, with the recently launced Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme expected to boost the vaccination rate. – The Vibes, June 30, 2021
