KUCHING: Pakatan Harapan (PH) has expressed concern about the low vaccine acceptance and registration level as well as the increasing new Covid-19 infection cases in Sarawak.
PH Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said that as of April 1, only 48,078 persons in Sarawak had received their first dose of vaccine, out of which 25,287 had received their second dose.
“As reported by the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), as of Mar 29, only 28.57 percent of eligible Sarawakians (591,921) have registered for the vaccination.
“That is roughly around 70,000 doses and an average of 2,000 doses a day have been administered, which is still a slow progress,” he added
“The sooner the vaccination programme is rolled out and more than 70 percent of the population are vaccinated, the sooner we can open up our economy and return to the normal economic activities,” he said at a press conference here today.
He proposed that vaccine stocks should be increased and private clinics and medical practitioners allowed to run a parallel vaccination drive with the free vaccination programme to achieve herd immunity quickly.
“Provide green passes for interstate travel without quarantine for those who have received their second doses to encourage people to go for vaccination.
“The state government must step up mass communication efforts through news agencies to promote the vaccination programme.
“Lastly, do not practise double standard in the standard operating procedure (SOP) applicable to VIPs and the common people, to instil the confidence of the people,” Chong explained.
He added that the state government should focus on the roll-out of the vaccination programme in the next six months instead of focusing on mega projects and the state election.
