KOTA KINABALU – Sabah has acknowledged that there is a shortage of Covid-19 test kits in the capital city here as the number of new cases soared past 1,600 across the state today.
In a bid to prevent panic buying, the state government has assured that the situation will be remedied soon.
Sabah Community Development and People’s Welfare Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya said that the shortage is caused by a sudden surge in demand following the sharp increase in school clusters around the state.
“After discussing with several pharmacies, they told me that fresh test kit supplies will arrive in one or two days.
“My advice for the people is not to panic on the supply of test kits around the state capital.
“It is hoped that there will be no panic buying,” he said after brief inspections on some pharmacies around here today.
Small stock size behind test kit shortage in some pharmacies
In Sabah, 17 educational clusters have been declared in the past three weeks.
In light of this, the state government has issued a directive that any school with more than two confirmed cases must be closed for seven days.
Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who is also the state coronavirus spokesman, earlier tweeted: “Based on feedback, some pharmacies do experience shortage of test kits for Covid-19, as they don’t keep big amounts of stock for commercial reasons.”
Masidi said some retail shops in Kota Kinabalu like Speedmart and Bataras currently have test kits available.
Earlier, he reported that Sabah recorded a total of 1,600 new cases today, up by 315 cases from yesterday’s number.
“Daily cases continue to spiral up,” he said, adding that of these, symptomatic cases comprise 46.69% and close contacts 46.75%.
He also announced another school hostel cluster at Maktab Sabah and a work cluster in Kunak.
He added that 99.19% (1,587 cases) of the 1,600 cases in Categories 1 and 2.
Four districts with the highest number of new cases are Kota Kinabalu (371 cases), Sandakan (322), Tuaran (150) and Penampang (138).
State govt must secure enough test kits: Sabah DAP
Meanwhile, Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe has called on the Sabah government to secure a sufficient supply of Covid-19 test kits, following the sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.
He said that the government must ensure that there is no shortage of other pandemic necessities such as face masks, which had happened during the first wave.
“It is alarming that Sabah now records the highest Rt (value) nationwide at 1.47, higher than the national average Rt at 1.27.
“With Sabah seeing a high number of new Covid-19 cases at 1,285 and 1,600 cases in the last two days, the government must take swift action to tackle the rapid transmission of Covid-19 in the state,” he said in a statement today.
Get boosted, regardless of vaccine type
Phoong, who is also Luyang assemblyman, also urged the public to take the booster jab, as the Health Ministry’s data indicates that it would boost one’s immune system and reduce the chance of being infected.
“Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that the Omicron variant might already be spreading in Sabah, which had triggered the sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.
“I urge the public to take their booster doses, regardless of what vaccine is provided. All vaccines are safe and it has been proven in other countries that booster jabs increase the immunity of individuals against the Omicron variant.
“The public must not let their guard down and must not take the standard operating procedures for granted. Social distancing and wearing masks at all times should continue to be practised to lower the infection rates and also break the chain of transmission,” he said.
He pointed to statistics from the CovidNow portal on the infection rate per 100,000 people, which show those who have taken the boosters to be relatively more protected against the virus than those who have not taken the shot.
Phoong said those who have yet to receive vaccination face high infection risk, with an average of 300 per 100,000 unvaccinated people continuing to be infected each month.
“As the Luyang rep, I am deeply concerned for my constituents, especially senior citizens, as the majority of them have not taken their booster jab and they are in the high-risk category.
“This is concerning, and I hope they will be boosted as soon as possible.
“On the other hand, I would also like to urge the public to conduct self-tests frequently, especially those who are attending social events frequently.
“As a politician who attends Chinese New Year events, I practise self-testing every day to protect myself and people around me.
“This is crucial to break the chain of transmission, and I hope that it could be a norm for all of us amid this pandemic,” he added. – The Vibes, February 7, 2022
Additional reporting by Rebecca Chong
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