MIRI – Sarawak has secured an additional 600,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to boost the fight against Covid-19 even as deaths and intensive care unit admissions continue to rise daily.
State Disaster Management Committee advisor Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said a consignment of additional vaccine doses landed at Kuching International Airport last night.
“We now have an additional 600,000-plus doses on standby in Sarawak for booster shots and third doses,” he said, adding that the shots are for senior citizens aged above 60, those with comorbidities, and frontliners.
Among the frontliners, priority will be given to medical and health personnel, especially doctors, nurses, and ward staff, he said in a social media post thanking the Health Ministry for the new doses.
Dr Sim’s updates came even as Sarawak yesterday notched a new daily record tally of another 34 fatalities confirmed to be caused by Covid-19, including 16 who were brought into hospitals dead from their homes.
The committee yesterday said the victims were aged between 31 to 95.
In a statement, the committee’s secretariat said the deaths were recorded over the past few days in the districts of Betong (nine people), Miri (four), Kuching (four), Bintulu (four), Sibu (six), Sri Aman (five), Limbang (one), and Sarikei (one).
All 16 who were brought in dead had died in their homes. They were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospitals.
These deaths were confirmed as due to the coronavirus following tests done on tissue samples from the deceased, the secretariat said.
676 new positive infections were detected yesterday in the state.
Kuching reported 170 cases, Miri 154 cases, and many other districts several dozen cases each. – The Vibes, October 29, 2021
