Ongkili wants vaccine shortage in Sabah to be resolved

 By Olivia Miwil - July 13, 2021 @ 7:14pm

There should not be an insufficient supply of vaccines in Sabah, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili. -NSTP file pic

KOTA MARUDU: There should not be an insufficient supply of vaccines in Sabah, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.

"Inoculation appointments had to be postponed at the last minute due to insufficient supplies of vaccines and some were told when they reached the centres.

"Such a situation should not happen, especially for those from far flung areas.

"We are worried that it would discourage them from coming for the next inoculation appointment," he said, as the inoculation programme in Kota Marudu was forced to slow down due to insufficient supply of vaccines.

Ongkili was speaking after flagging off the 2nd Covid-19 Vaccination Outreach Programme to the hinterlands of Magandai here.

To date, 27,589 or 55 per cent of the constituents here have registered for the vaccination programme.

Of the figure, a total of 7,899 have at least received their first dose, while 5,408 have completed both doses in Kota Marudu, while for Matunggong, 1,060 have received their first dose and 1,052 have both doses.

The Kota Marudu Member of Parliament said he believed the situation in his constituency was not the only district affected by the dearth of supply.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had said that the state would be getting one million vaccine doses this month to achieve its daily 30,000 vaccination starting July.

However, as of yesterday, the daily vaccination rate was still below the target.

Sabah also ranked the lowest as only eight per cent of its total population completed the two-dose inoculation.

"I have conveyed the problem to Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba so the issue can be resolved fast.

"Therefore, I hope the relevant authorities will ensure there is enough vaccine supply for the eastern states of Malaysia," said Ongkili.

He, however, said the government had done its best in ensuring every Malaysian would get their Covid-19 vaccine shots through the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme.

"We believe inoculation processes can be beefed up through the outreach programmes, and ensure that far-flung folks will not slip through the cracks," he said.