With Sabah at bottom of vaccination table, leaders plead for federal boost

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah leaders have called on Putrajaya to ramp up the state’s vaccination rate, which remains the lowest in the country in terms of registrations and shots administered.

The plea by both the opposition and ruling camps comes as Sabah in recent days sees a renewed spike in Covid-19 infections.

The state recorded around 600 daily cases in the last four days due to an outbreak involving prisons in Tawau and here, the highest since last September.

Nationwide statistics released by the Special Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee showed that Sabah remains at the bottom in terms of vaccination and registration progress.

As of July 17, only 475,084 (12.2%) of 9,570,974 Malaysians who received the first dose, and 358,132 (9.2%) of 4,431,350 who received the second dose, are from Sabah.

The low numbers are despite registration being made available via the MySejahtera app, launched on February 23, followed by the national vaccination programme launched in Sabah on March 3. 

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor has said the state aims to achieve 30,000 doses a day this month with the expected delivery of one million doses in July and an additional 1.2 million doses in August.

At present, the vaccination rate in Sabah stands at 10,000 to 15,000 doses per day. 

Former communications and multimedia minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak urged the federal government to give more attention to Sabah so the state can attain herd immunity before October.

“We have been at the bottom of the statistics for too long. The federal government must step up efforts and focus its energy to speed up the vaccination rate to at least 50,000 doses a day (for Sabah). 

“Use the numerous strategies that have already been proven effective. It is time to (make) sacrifices and save Sabah,” he told The Vibes.

Asked if Putrajaya has failed to heed the call, he said all those concerned will keep pressing the government for action.

DAP Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said the situation in Sabah is most unfortunate, as supplies to vaccination centres remain low.

He said some Sabahans have had their appointments redirected when vaccination centres were forced to close due to a lack of jabs.

“The state has 151 vaccination centres. Achieving 30,000 vaccinations a day is a realistic figure and certainly achievable for Sabah as there are enough centres.  

“Unfortunately, the shortage of vaccines has forced many to go only to centres where supply is available, like Likas Hospital and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.”

Another opposition leader, Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong, said bureaucracy has gotten in the way of the state’s inoculation drive.

He said the Health Ministry’s decision to replace the state health director in the middle of the pandemic was ill-timed.

“It was a wrong move to transfer Dr Rundi at this time and put someone else who had been in Kuala Lumpur for years to take over such a complex task.”

Datuk Dr Christina Rundi was replaced by Dr Rose Nani, Sabahan vector-borne disease and epidemiology expert, on July 13. 

“The burden now is on the new director to achieve the 30,000-dose target. But this is a prerequisite as Sabah will gradually achieve higher numbers eventually,” said Junz.

Sandakan MP Vivian Wong pointed out that the highest number of doses administered in a day the state has recorded is 18,692 on June 16.

The state’s health workers will need to administer more than 5.5 million doses to achieve herd immunity after Christmas, provided they work around the clock, she said.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the distribution of vaccines should be fair and balanced. 

Expressing displeasure at the unfair distribution in the state, he said 2,758,400 people in Sabah are eligible for vaccination, and the inequality has revealed weaknesses in the management of vaccine disbursement. 

He said there are many who have not been called up for an appointment.

As of Saturday, Covid-19 inoculation in Sabah stood at 13% of the population, or 358,592 people. 

To attain 40% vaccination for the eligible population, said Jafry, Sabah must receive a minimum of 1,689,536 doses between July and mid-August.

He added that the state needs to achieve a 60% vaccination rate to allow the reopening of the tourism sector, stressing that it is the only industry where the majority of workers are locals. – The Vibes, July 21, 2021