PH Concerns About Slow Vaccination Roll Out

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Press Statement By Chong Chieng Jen:

Pakatan Harapan Sarawak expressed concerns on the low vaccine acceptance and registration level and the high new Covid-19 infection cases in Sarawak.

For the past 3 weeks, Sarawak’s new infection cases have been in the top 3 ranking among the States in the country.

It is our PH Sarawak’s position that the sooner the vaccination program is rolled out and more than 70% of the population are vaccinated, the sooner we can open up our economy and return to the normal economic activities including local businesses, business travels, tourism, in-flow of investments.

As reported by the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), as of 29-3-2021, only 28.57% of Sarawak’s population (591,921) have registered for the vaccination exercise.

Since the start of the vaccination program in Sarawak on 27-2-2021. As of 1-4-2021 (34 days), only 48,078 in Sarawak have received their first dose of vaccine, out of which 25,287 have received their second dose.

For the more effective roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination program, we PH Sarawak proposes the followings:

  1. To increase the vaccine stocks for Sarawak without any delay.
  2. To allow private clinics and medical practitioners to run a parallel vaccination drive along with the government’s free vaccination programme to help the country achieve herd immunity against the corona-virus as quick as possible.
  3. To provide Green Passes (inter-state travels without quarantine) for those who have received the second doses to incentivize people to accept vaccination.
  4. To step up the mass communication effort through Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and other government news agencies to promote the benefits of vaccination to all ethnics and communities in Sarawak.
  5. To instill confidence of the people in the administration of the SOPs by not having double standards in the SOPs applicable to the VIPs and the common people.

Focus of the State Government in the next 6 months should be on the roll-out of the vaccination program rather than mega projects and State Elections propaganda.

3-4-2021
Chong Chieng Jen
Sarawak Pakatan Harapan

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