MIRI – Sarawak must liaise with the federal Health Ministry to ready more supplies of Sinovac vaccines before the latest Covid-19 Omicron wave surges beyond control in this state, seeing that stocks are running low, said a local opposition lawmaker.
Talking to the Vibes, Miri MP Dr Michael Teo claimed that his state has been allocated a limited supply of Sinovac booster shots, but many Sarawakians prefer the Chinese-made inoculation in comparison to Pfizer.
“It appears that Sarawak has been allocated a limited stock of the Sinovac booster vaccine. The majority of Sarawakians had Sinovac for their first two doses, and most of them want Sinovac for their booster shots instead of Pfizer.
“Now that we are seeing Omicron suddenly surging in Sarawak, the state government must immediately request from the ministry a substantial increase in supplies of the Sinovac booster vaccine. The state government must get the Health Ministry to send us Sinovac shots now.
“The state Health Department must then go on an aggressive drive to get as many Sarawakians jabbed with the Sinovac booster. The Omicron surge is causing increasing deaths in some countries already. We must swiftly prevent this from happening in Sarawak,” he said.
He added that his concerns are shared by other private medical practitioners who complained to him that they are also running out of Sinovac for booster shots.
Apparently, many Sarawakians do not want to mix their original Sinovac immunisation shots with other brands.
On the new emerging wave of Omicron in Sarawak, Dr Teo warned it is expected to worsen in the weeks ahead.
Covid-19 infections in Sarawak yesterday hit 129 new cases, breaching the three-digit mark again after a lull of two months.
Kuching saw 54 new cases, Sibu 35, Miri 18, and several cases in numerous other districts, according to the updates yesterday from the State Disaster Management Committee.
The committee said these new cases are in Categories 1 and 2, with no symptoms and mild symptoms.
Dr Teo today said all hospitals must start preparing to deal with this coming infection surge.
“We are now seeing a trend of increasing Covid-19 Omicron cases on a daily basis in the big urban centres of Kuching, Miri, and Sibu. This latest wave of infections may last for the next few months,” he said.
He warned that the community spread of Omicron may be difficult to control and that the public should not take the variant lightly.
The medical professional advised Sarawakians to double-mask, adhere to physical distancing, and take good care of their personal hygiene while avoiding crowded places and remaining at home as much as possible.
Dr Teo noted that Omicron can be deadly, as seen by the more than three thousand new deaths daily in the United States now. – The Vibes, February 9, 2022
