By Olivia Miwil - December 14, 2021 @ 6:00pm
PUTATAN: The administration of Covid-19 booster doses in Sabah is slow as it has not been made compulsory, said state Immunisation operations director Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
He said the standard operating procedures (SOP) currently require the people to only get the first two doses of the vaccine, and not a third.
"We have entered the phase of giving out booster doses. However, the rate of administering them to the eligible public is slow. This is due to the standard operating procedures that require us to complete the two doses and not for the third dose.
"However, we have to remember that the Covid-19 virus variant is always mutating and with the booster dose, our body's defence system will be better," he said after officiating the state-level Community Development Leaders Unit (UPPM) briefing session here today.
The Sabah government has made complete vaccination a requirement for people to go to work, visit public places and travel, among others.
Sabah's vaccination rate for the adult population currently stands at 75.6 per cent. However, only 148,607 people have received booster doses.
Shahelmey, who is also the state Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister, urged community leaders including UPPM to play their role in encouraging people to take the booster shots.
UPPM, he said, should also track unvaccinated people while doing outreach programmes, especially in six districts - Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Tongod, Kunak, Tawau and Nabawan- with low vaccination rates.
Sabah recorded 232 new Covid-19 cases today, as well as new cluster known as "Puncak Ilmu".
State Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, in a separate statement, said the cluster involves Universiti Malaysia Sabah, with the index case being a student at the hostel.
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