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SANDAKAN – After waiting for a few months, Lee Eng Seng, 74, finally received his first dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Kg Tg Aru here yesterday.
Lee said he never would have travelled to the Sandakan Community Hall vaccination centre to get the jab, because he fears leaving the village amid the pandemic.
“I also do not want to go to town because I would need to do that via boat, and it takes about 20 minutes to reach Sandakan town. I avoid going to town unless I have an appointment at the hospital,” he told The Vibes.
Lee was vaccinated by the medical team during Sandakan’s first Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) outreach vaccination programme here.
He was among 430 others who have received the first dose via the programme held at Kg Tg Aru’s mosque.
“I was not afraid. It did not hurt. I have been willing to be vaccinated since the government first encouraged us to get the vaccine. I know that it is the only way that I would survive if I ever got contracted with the virus.
“I am thankful that the government has arranged to bring the vaccine to us instead.”
Sandakan Health Officer Dr Johari Awang Besar said the purpose of the outreach programme is to help someone like Lee, who has difficulty travelling to the vaccination centres in town.
“This programme will be carried out to reach all rural folk who need to travel via boat to reach the vaccination centres, involving 25 villages on several islands and by the river, as well as several villages in the interior areas of Sandakan.
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“We are hoping to complete this programme in September, and hopefully by then, we would vaccinate most of those living in interior areas. We target to vaccinate 6,000 people from these 25 water villages,” he said.
While Lee was ready to be vaccinated, Kg Tg Aru chief Abdul Maman Daman said it is rare because most villagers are reluctant to be vaccinated.
“Even I was scared to be vaccinated at first. I was afraid that I was going to die after receiving the vaccine. But they arranged for grassroots leaders to get vaccinated first, so I went. health personnel were able to convince me that the vaccine is safe.
“So, I received my vaccination early last month. When I returned (to the village), a lot of the villagers asked me about how I felt, and if I was healthy.
“But after they saw that I was fine, they were convinced that the vaccine is safe.”
Another villager, a mother of three children, Mainun Jannah told The Vibes that she felt relieved that Maman was fine after he was vaccinated.
“We know that the government has been urging us to get vaccinated, but at the same time we were afraid. So when Maman received the vaccine, we were all relieved to see a living proof that the vaccine is safe. More so that we personally knew Maman,” she said.
Kg Tg Aru has about 2,000 villagers, including children. – The Vibes, June 27, 2021
