Sabah needs more vaccination centres to avoid overcrowding, cross infection

 By Olivia Miwil - August 4, 2021 @ 12:24pm

As vaccine supply is no longer an issue in Sabah, Sabah Real Estate and Developers Association president Datuk Chua Soon Ping said the government should also intensify walk-ins and allow people to be vaccinated in the event of absentees. - STR/MOHD ADAM ARININ

KOTA KINABALU: More vaccination centres should be set up to expedite inoculations and prevent cross-infection at overcrowded vaccine venues.

Sabah Real Estate and Developers Association president Datuk Chua Soon Ping said vaccination was the only path towards speedy economic recovery.

As vaccine supply is no longer an issue in Sabah, he said the government should also intensify walk-ins and allow people to be vaccinated in the event of absentees.

However, he said this should be done without exposing the people to the risk of infection, including at overcrowded vaccination centres.

"Such centres attract a few thousand people per day, and they must comply strictly with standard operating procedures (SOP), otherwise it defeats the purpose," said Chua, referring to the risk of mass infections happening at the local inoculation centres.

He added that the Sabah health authorities should allow more mobile units and private clinics to assist in vaccinations.

As for the single-dose vaccine like CanSino, which is due to arrive in Sabah, Chua suggested these to be given for those living in hard-to-reach places because this will cut down time for a recipient having to return for a second dose.

On the treatment side, he said the authorities should consider utilising vacant hotels to place infected patients to deal with any sudden spike in patients in hospitals.

Based on the susceptible, infectious and recovered (SIR) model, he said Sabah's daily infection cases may potentially hit 1,600 cases in two weeks' time.

However, despite the rising cases in Sabah, he concurred with a recent statement by Sabah Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun that lockdowns may not be the solution.

"The past few lockdowns have almost crippled our economy; we should instead re-evaluate and enhance the SOP, while allowing economic activities to be continued.

"We can only get out of the situation if we speed up the vaccination process. Authorities must ensure proper deployment of the SOP.".

Chua also urged businesses linked to the construction industry to grab the opportunity to be vaccinated under the Construction Industry Vaccination Programme (CIVac), which will start on Aug 19 at the Sutera Magellan Resort.