Sarawak sourcing for own vaccines supply

KUCHING: The Sarawak government is looking into the possibility of purchasing its own Covid-19 vaccines, said State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.

He said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has instructed a team in SDMC to find ways on how to purchase the vaccines.

“The Prime Minister has informed us that the federal government will supply the vaccines which are needed by qualified Sarawakians.

“Nevertheless, our Chief Minister has instructed a team to be led by Datuk Dr Andrew Kiyu to find ways for us to purchase the vaccine because if we can do so, we can then increase our vaccine doses in addition to what is being supplied by the federal government,” the deputy chief minister told a press conference here yesterday.

With him were Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Uggah said if this plan succeeds, the state could therefore speed up the process of getting all qualified Sarawakians vaccinated as soon as possible.

“Our target is to have Sarawakians vaccinated by August. Dr Sim is talking to Kuala Lumpur (federal government) because we have to buy through them.

“So far there has been no indication that we are able to get any stock (of vaccines) but the effort is being made,” he said.

Sarawak's first batch of PfizerBioNTech vaccines comprising 23,400 doses arrived from Kuala

Lumpur last Wednesday.

Since the state's Covid-19 immunisation programme was launched last Friday, a total of 8,323 individuals have been vaccinated in the space of three days in nine divisions across the state.

The second shipment of 31,590 doses is expected to arrive today, followed by the third and fourth shipments of 4,680 doses each on March 10 and 17 respectively.

The last two shipments will arrive on March 24 (14,040 doses) and March 31 (9,360 doses).

On another subject, Uggah said the insistence of some Sarawakians to continue holding social gatherings and to travel unnecessarily from one zone to another have led to the current high number of Covid-19 cases in the state. He said many still failed to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) during social gatherings, while some were even found to have travelled out of a red zone just to go to have drinks at pubs in another zone.

"Previously, we were in a much better situation with many green zones. But now, the number of cases is in the three-digits and this is alarming.

"We have banned social gatherings, and yet people still go out and visit each other during the recent Chinese New Year, meet for barbeque sessions at each other's houses and gather for cockfighting.

"The cluster from this cockfighting will grow to be a big cluster. So are the clusters reported in the last few weeks which started from funerals, weddings and gambling sessions.

“Such social activities usually involve movement from red zone to other zones such as from Kapit to Betong and Sibu to Bintulu. We were also told that some even travelled from Sibu to Bintulu just to go to the pub, and this is among the things that saddened us,” he said.

As such, Uggah reiterated his call for Sarawakians to comply with the SOP such as wearing face masks and observing physical distancing in crowded places or even at workplaces, as well as other do's and don'ts stated under the SOP.

"We appeal and keep on appealing to Sarawakians. Value your life, value your health, comply with the SOP not because you are scared of being fined or arrested by police, but to keep yourself safe.”

On the cluster from the cockfighting session, Uggah revealed there could be another 50 new cases.

“It is not reported yet for today (yesterday). One longhouse in my (Bukit Saban) constituency, I was told by a doctor, 50 people were positive after the cockfighting (session).

“That is why we keep on appealing to the people to comply with the SOP," he said.

Meanwhile, he reported that 33 compounds were issued by police yesterday for failure to comply with the SOP.

Sixteen of those compounds were issued in Miri, 13 in Kuching and four in Padawan, he added.