MIRI – Up to 40% of Sarawakian adults are refusing to go for their Pfizer vaccine booster jabs despite the state recording the highest Covid-19 death toll in the country, said Miri MP Dr Michael Teo Yu Keng.
“This is worrying since the Delta variant and sub-variants infections and fatalities in Sarawak are still serious,” Teo told The Vibes today.
Dr Teo, who is a medical specialist, said he has obtained reliable data revealing some 40% of Sarawakians have so far declined receiving the Pfizer booster shots.
He said many Sarawakians want Sinovac as their booster shot as they were administered with the vaccine earlier this year.
“They hesitate to take Pfizer vaccine for their booster as they are worried about mixing their vaccines.
“The Health Ministry must give Sarawak the Sinovac vaccine for the booster jabs, not just Pfizer as is the case now.
“The percentage of Sarawakians without booster shots is very high now.
“This is worrying as the Covid-19 death rate is still high in Sarawak and the state election is so near.
“I learned from reliable sources that as many as 40% of Sarawakians are refusing the Pfizer booster offered to them,” he said.
Sarawakians have called on the state authorities to appeal to the Health Ministry to provide the Sinovac vaccine booster doses as the state tops the list of Covid-19 fatalities once again.
Two days ago, state Disaster Management Committee adviser Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said in his social media postings that people in Sarawak want Sinovac as their booster shots, to supplement the Pfizer vaccine.
“I have communicated with Khairy Jamaluddin (health minister) about vaccine hesitancy in Sarawak, and spoke to him about the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending Sinovac as the third dose.
“I told him about the waning immunity as seen in new cases in Malaysia and Sarawak.
“Sarawak happens to have completed vaccination the earliest and now needs booster vaccines.
“I urged him to get our medical experts to re-examine our latest local and global scientific data to consider Sinovac as a booster dose, in addition to the current Pfizer booster dose.
“Any WHO-approved vaccine into the body is a good vaccine,” he said in his social media post.
Dr Sim said many Sarawakians are asking for Sinovac for their booster jabs.
Incumbent Bukit Assek state assembly representative Irene Chang has also issued a press statement, saying that many Sarawakians are still hesitant to go for booster jabs as only Pfizer is available now.
She said that data from the Health Department showed that 77.7% of Sarawakians had Sinovac for their first and second doses.
“Now in Sarawak, only Pfrizer is available for booster.
“That is why many Sarawakians are still hesitant to go for booster shots because they want Sinovac.
“They are worried about mixing with Pfizer vaccine after having Sinovac doses,” she said.
Chang questioned why Sabahans have been given Sinovac supply but none for Sarawakians. – The Vibes, November 16, 2021
