MIRI – Some 1,650 people from three villages in the remote Ba’kelalan highlands of northern Sarawak, adjacent to the border with Kalimantan have been given the first dose of Covid-19 injection via a combat-style immunisation programme.
The vaccination was successfully carried out in the mountain villages of Nur Buduk, Long Sukang and Long Semadoh, said the Sarawak Public Communications Unit in its latest updates.
“The vaccination was carried out smoothly in the mass vaccination centres set up in these villages and it was a success,” it said, promising that more remote areas will be covered in the days to come.
The Defence Ministry, the Sarawak Health Department and other state authorities had worked out plans to facilitate Covid-19 vaccination in very remote regions using the combat-medic system.
Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on June 19 held a meeting with Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg and several state ministers in Kuching.
They discussed proposals on how to carry out this vaccination drive.
The chief minister’s office said in a statement that the Defence Ministry in Putrajaya wants to help Sarawak achieve its aim of getting at least 80% of its population vaccinated by the end of August.
“The combat-medic approach is seen as the best method in very remote localities. The method will accelerate the pace of vaccination throughout the state,” it said.
Sarawak currently has one of the highest levels of Covid-19 infections and fatalities among all states nationwide. – The Vibes, June 29, 2021
