KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be given priority to receive the single dose CanSino vaccine when Malaysia gets its three million supply next month.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin who is also the coordinating minister for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) gave this assurance to Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor during a virtual meeting here Friday.
“We will reserve the first shipment for Sabah and similarly, we will notify and give option to Sabah on Johnson & Johnson (single dose vaccine),” he added.
Khairy said this in response to the Chief Minister’s call for more vaccines supply to Sabah to speed up the state’s vaccination target of 60 percent by October and to reach herd immunity by year end.
“It is also crucial that we reach communities in the interior areas and far flung islands whose mobility are hampered by rough terrain and distance,” Hajiji said.
“We have opened up 177 vaccine administration centres (PPV) throughout the state to date and together with mobile outreach facilities and the Army’s Medic Vaccination programme, we are on track to get more people vaccinated,” Hajiji told Khairy.
Thanking the federal government for all cooperation extended to Sabah in the vaccination programme, Hajiji welcomed Khairy’s gesture in the midst of vaccine supply constraints.
Meanwhile, Sabah Health Director Dr Rose Nani Mudin disclosed that Sabah’s first Integrated vaccine administration centre (PPV Integrasi) will kick off next week at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
PPV Integrasi will roll out free vaccines and allowing private hospitals to assist in speeding up the vaccination process. This will take off the load from the current overwhelmed public hospitals, she added.
Also present at the virtual meet were Minister of Housing and Local Government and Sabah COVID-19 spokesperson, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Minister of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing, Ir Shahelmey Yahya and State Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Safar Untong. With Khairy were Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health, Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood and and Deputy Army Chief, Lieutenant General Dato’ Mohammad Ab Rahman.-pr/BNN
