SABAH Wanita MCA urges the new incoming Cabinet to prioritise protecting the people amidst the pandemic and ensure that sufficient vaccine doses are allocated to states which need them.
Malaysia sees a glimmer of hope as the number of daily cases in Klang Valley begins to subside and ICU occupancy faces less congestion because patients who are vaccinated report relatively milder symptoms.
However, on the contrary, cases are on the rise in other states such as Sabah, a state which already faces a challenging task of reaching rural dwellers.
Logistics aside, reports have also revealed that vaccination centres in Sabah are experiencing vaccine shortages, leading to the practice of rationing walk-in slots for first dose only. Furthermore, the jabs administered daily have also dropped from more than 50,000 daily to as low as 41,289 a day.
Last week, the first shipment of 200,000 doses of China's CanSino Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Malaysia, which was promised by the then coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin to be reserved for Sabah.
We urge the national CITF to update the people on its progress and alleviate worries that Sabah’s situation will worsen without an adequate supply of vaccines.
According to reports, more than 30% of Sabah’s registered adult population has been fully vaccinated while another 52.4% has received their first dose.
Considering that cases in Selangor started to decrease only after close to 60% have received their first dose, the government should place more focus on Sabah to ensure the population is vaccinated as soon as possible.
Dr Pamela Yong
Sabah Wanita MCA chairperson
MCA deputy secretary-general
